Chronic Stimulation Improves Motor Performance in an Ambulatory Rat Model of Spinal Cord Injury.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this proof-of-concept feasibility study was to determine if spike-triggered intraspinal microstimulation (ISMS), a form of activity dependent stimulation (ADS), results in improved motor performance in an ambulatory rat model of spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS: Experiments were carried out in adult male Sprague Dawley rats with moderate thoracic contusion injury. Rats were assigned to one of two groups: Control or ADS therapy. Four weeks post-SCI, all rats were implanted with a recording microelectrode in the left hindlimb motor cortex and a fine-wire stimulating electrode in the contralateral lumbar spinal cord. ADS was administered for 4 hours/day, 4 days/week, for 4 weeks. During therapy sessions, single-unit spikes were discriminated in real time in the hindlimb motor cortex and used to trigger stimulation in the spinal cord ventral horn. Control rats were similarly implanted with electrodes but did not receive stimulation therapy. RESULTS: Motor performances of each rat were evaluated before SCI contusion, once a week post-SCI for four weeks (prior to electrode implantation), and once a week post-conditioning for four weeks. Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor scores were significantly improved in ADS rats compared to Control rats at 1 and 2 weeks after initiation of therapy. Foot fault scores on the Horizontal Ladder were significantly improved in ADS rats compared to pre-therapy ADS and Control rats after 1 week of therapy and recovered to near pre-injury scores after 3 weeks of therapy. The Ledged Beam test showed deficits after SCI in both ADS and Control rats but there were no significant differences between groups after 4 weeks of ADS therapy. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that chronic stimulation after spinal cord injury using a methodology of spike-triggered ISMS enhances behavioral recovery of locomotor function as measured by the BBB score and the Horizontal Ladder task. However, it is still uncertain if the behavioral improvements seen were dependent on spike-triggered ISMS.

Neuronal cytoskeletal gene dysregulation and mechanical hypersensitivity in a rat model of Rett syndrome.

Children with Rett syndrome show abnormal cutaneous sensitivity. The precise nature of sensory abnormalities and underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Rats with methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) mutation, characteristic of Rett syndrome, show hypersensitivity to pressure and cold, but hyposensitivity to heat. They also show cutaneous hyperinnervation by nonpeptidergic sensory axons, which include subpopulations encoding noxious mechanical and cold stimuli, whereas peptidergic thermosensory innervation is reduced. MeCP2 knockdown confined to dorsal root ganglion sensory neurons replicated this phenotype in vivo, and cultured MeCP2-deficient ganglion neurons showed augmented axonogenesis. Transcriptome analysis revealed dysregulation of genes associated with cytoskeletal dynamics, particularly those controlling actin polymerization and focal-adhesion formation necessary for axon growth and mechanosensory transduction. Down-regulation of these genes by topoisomerase inhibition prevented abnormal axon sprouting. We identified eight key affected genes controlling actin signaling and adhesion formation, including members of the Arhgap, Tiam, and cadherin families. Simultaneous virally mediated knockdown of these genes in Rett rats prevented sensory hyperinnervation and reversed mechanical hypersensitivity, indicating a causal role in abnormal outgrowth and sensitivity. Thus, MeCP2 regulates ganglion neuronal genes controlling cytoskeletal dynamics, which in turn determines axon outgrowth and mechanosensory function and may contribute to altered pain sensitivity in Rett syndrome.

Activity dependent stimulation increases synaptic efficacy in spared pathways in an anesthetized rat model of spinal cord contusion injury.

BACKGROUND: Closed-loop neuromodulation systems have received increased attention in recent years as potential therapeutic approaches for treating neurological injury and disease. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of intraspinal microstimulation (ISMS), triggered by action potentials (spikes) recorded in motor cortex, to alter synaptic efficacy in descending motor pathways in an anesthetized rat model of spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS: Experiments were carried out in adult, male, Sprague Dawley rats with a moderate contusion injury at T8. For activity-dependent stimulation (ADS) sessions, a recording microelectrode was used to detect neuronal spikes in motor cortex that triggered ISMS in the spinal cord grey matter. SCI rats were randomly assigned to one of four experimental groups differing by: a) cortical spike-ISMS stimulus delay (10 or 25 ms) and b) number of ISMS pulses (1 or 3). Four weeks after SCI, ADS sessions were conducted in three consecutive 1-hour conditioning bouts for a total of 3 hours. At the end of each conditioning bout, changes in synaptic efficacy were assessed using intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) to examine the number of spikes evoked in spinal cord neurons during 5-minute test bouts. A multichannel microelectrode recording array was used to record cortically-evoked spike activity from multiple layers of the spinal cord. RESULTS: The results showed that ADS resulted in an increase in cortically-evoked spikes in spinal cord neurons at specific combinations of spike-ISMS delays and numbers of pulses. Efficacy in descending motor pathways was increased throughout all dorsoventral depths of the hindlimb spinal cord. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that after an SCI, ADS can increase synaptic efficacy in spared pathways between motor cortex and spinal cord. This study provides further support for the potential of ADS therapy as an effective method for enhancing descending motor control after SCI.

Effects of a contusive spinal cord injury on cortically-evoked spinal spiking activity in rats.

Objective.The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of spinal cord injury (SCI) on spike activity evoked in the hindlimb spinal cord of the rat from cortical electrical stimulation.Approach.Adult, male, Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to a Healthy or SCI group. SCI rats were given a 175 kDyn dorsal midline contusion injury at the level of the T8 vertebrae. At 4 weeks post-SCI, intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) was delivered at several sites in the hindlimb motor cortex of anesthetized rats, and evoked neural activity was recorded from corresponding sites throughout the dorsoventral depths of the spinal cord and EMG activity from hindlimb muscles.Main results.In healthy rats, post-ICMS spike histograms showed reliable, evoked spike activity during a short-latency epoch 10-12 ms after the initiation of the ICMS pulse train (short). Longer latency spikes occurred between ∼20 and 60 ms, generally following a Gaussian distribution, rising above baseline at timeLON, followed by a peak response (Lp), and then falling below baseline at timeLOFF. EMG responses occurred betweenLONandLp( 25-27 ms). In SCI rats, short-latency responses were still present, long-latency responses were disrupted or eliminated, and EMG responses were never evoked. The retention of the short-latency responses indicates that spared descending spinal fibers, most likely via the cortico-reticulospinal pathway, can still depolarize spinal cord neurons after a dorsal midline contusion injury.Significance.This study provides novel insights into the role of alternate pathways for voluntary control of hindlimb movements after SCI that disrupts the corticospinal tract in the rat.

Neurotrimin is an estrogen-regulated determinant of peripheral sympathetic innervation.

Mechanisms underlying axon degeneration in peripheral neuropathies and during normal remodeling are poorly understood. Because estrogen induces widespread sympathetic axon degeneration in female reproductive tract smooth muscle, we surveyed estrogen-regulated genes in rat myometrium. Microarray analysis revealed that the neural cell adhesion protein neurotrimin (Ntm) was markedly up-regulated 6 hr and down-regulated 24 hr after injection of 17beta-estradiol, and real time RT-PCR confirmed this pattern of expression. Protein analysis by Western blotting showed that uterine Ntm protein is also up-regulated in vivo 6-24 hr following estrogen injection and that Ntm protein is increased selectively in the myometrium during the high-estrogen phase of the estrous cycle. Cultured myometrial smooth muscle cells display perinuclear accumulations of Ntm protein, and 17beta-estradiol also increases intracellular levels of Ntm and its secretion into the culture medium. To determine if neurotrimin is required for estrogen-induced sympathetic pruning, sympathetic neurons were cocultured with uterine smooth muscle cells transfected with siRNA directed against Ntm. Although estrogen inhibited neurite outgrowth in nontransfected cocultures, estrogen's ability to reduce sympathetic outgrowth was impaired substantially following Ntm down-regulation. This supports a role for neurotrimin in mediating estrogen-induced sympathetic pruning in some peripheral targets. Together with earlier studies, these findings support the idea that physiological sympathetic axon degeneration is a multifactorial process requiring dynamic regulation of multiple repellant proteins.

Output Properties of the Cortical Hindlimb Motor Area in Spinal Cord-Injured Rats.

The purpose of this study was to examine neuronal activity levels in the hindlimb area of motor cortex following spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats and compare the results with measurements in normal rats. Fifteen male Fischer-344 rats received a 200 Kdyn contusion injury in the thoracic cord at level T9-T10. After a minimum of 4 weeks following SCI, intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) and single-unit recording techniques were used in both the forelimb and hindlimb motor areas (FLA, HLA) under ketamine anesthesia. Although movements could be evoked using ICMS in the forelimb area with relatively low current levels, no movements or electromyographical responses could be evoked from ICMS in the HLA in any of the injured rats. During the same procedure, electrophysiological recordings were obtained with a single-shank, 16-channel Michigan probe (Neuronexus) to monitor activity. Neural spikes were discriminated using principle component analysis. Neural activity (action potentials) was collected and digitized for a duration of 5 min. Despite the inability to evoke movement from stimulation of cortex, robust single-unit activity could be recorded reliably from hindlimb motor cortex in SCI rats. Activity in the motor cortex of SCI rats was significantly higher compared with uninjured rats, and increased in hindlimb and forelimb motor cortex by similar amounts. These results demonstrate that in a rat model of thoracic SCI, an increase in single-unit cortical activity can be reliably recorded for several weeks post-injury.

Modulation of parasympathetic neuron phenotype and function by sympathetic innervation.

Selective sympathetic nerve dysfunction occurs during aging and in certain disease states. Here, we review findings concerning the effects of chronic sympathetic denervation on parasympathetic innervation to orbital target tissues in the adult rat. Long-term sympathetic denervation was induced by excising the ipsilateral superior cervical ganglion for 5-6 weeks prior to analyses. Following sympathectomy, pterygopalatine ganglion parasympathetic neurons show reduced nitric oxide synthase protein in their somata and projections to vascular targets. Laser Doppler measurements of ocular blood flow indicate that sympathectomy is also accompanied by reduced nitrergic vasodilatation. In the superior tarsal muscle of the eyelid, parasympathetic varicosities, normally, are distant to smooth muscle cells but make axo-axonal contacts with sympathetic nerves, consistent with physiological evidence showing only prejunctional inhibitory effects on sympathetically mediated smooth muscle contraction. Following sympathectomy, parasympathetic varicosities proliferate and closely appose smooth muscle cells, and this is accompanied by establishment of parasympathetic-smooth muscle excitatory neurotransmission. Many pterygopalatine parasympathetic neurons normally contain nerve growth factor (NGF) protein and express NGF mRNA. However, following chronic sympathectomy or elimination of sympathetic impulse activity, NGF mRNA and protein are markedly reduced, indicating that sympathetic neurotransmission enhances NGF expression in parasympathetic neurons. Together, these findings portray a striking dependency of parasympathetic neurons on sympathetic nerves to maintain normal phenotype and function. Sympathetic influences on parasympathetic neurons may be mediated, in part, through axo-axonal synapses. NGF synthesis and release by parasympathetic neurons may represent a molecular basis underlying the formation of these synapses, and up-regulation of NGF synthesis by sympathetic nerve activity may act to reinforce these associations.

Gait analysis at multiple speeds reveals differential functional and structural outcomes in response to graded spinal cord injury.

Open-field behavioral scoring is widely used to assess spinal cord injury (SCI) outcomes, but has limited usefulness in describing subtle changes important for posture and locomotion. Additional quantitative methods are needed to increase the resolution of locomotor outcome assessment. This study used gait analysis at multiple speeds (GAMS) across a range of mild-to-severe intensities of thoracic SCI in the rat. Overall, Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) scores and subscores were assessed, and detailed automated gait analysis was performed at three fixed walking speeds (3.5, 6.0, and 8.5 cm/sec). Variability in hindpaw brake, propel, and stance times were analyzed further by integrating across the stance phase of stepping cycles. Myelin staining of spinal cord sections was used to quantify white matter loss at the injury site. Varied SCI intensity produced graded deficits in BBB score, BBB subscores, and spinal cord white matter and total volume loss. GAMS measures of posture revealed decreased paw area, increased limb extension, altered stance width, and decreased values for integrated brake, propel, and stance. Measures of coordination revealed increased stride frequency concomitant with decreased stride length, resulting in deviation from consistent forelimb/hindlimb coordination. Alterations in posture and coordination were correlated to impact severity. GAMS results correlated highly with functional and histological measures and revealed differential relationships between sets of GAMS dynamics and cord total volume loss versus epicenter myelin loss. Automated gait analysis at multiple speeds is therefore a useful tool for quantifying nuanced changes in gait as an extension of histological and observational methods in assessing SCI outcomes.

Sympathetic neurons synthesize and secrete pro-nerve growth factor protein.

Postmitotic sympathetic neuronal survival is dependent upon nerve growth factor (NGF) provided by peripheral targets, and this dependency serves as a central tenet of the neurotrophic hypothesis. In some other systems, NGF has been shown to play an autocrine role, although the pervasiveness and significance of this phenomenon within the nervous system remain unclear. We show here that rat sympathetic neurons synthesize and secrete NGF. NGF mRNA is expressed in nearly half of superior cervical ganglion sympathetic neurons at embryonic day 17, rising to over 90% in the early postnatal period, and declining in the adult. Neuronal immunoreactivity is reduced when retrograde transport is interrupted by axotomy, but persists in a subpopulation of neurons despite diminished mRNA expression, suggesting that intrinsic protein synthesis occurs. Cultured neonatal neurons express NGF mRNA, which is maintained even when they are undergoing apoptosis. To determine which NGF isoforms are secreted, we performed metabolic labeling and immunoprecipitation of NGF-immunoreactive proteins synthesized by cultured NGF-dependent and -independent neurons. Conditioned medium contained high molecular weight NGF precursor proteins, which varied depending upon the state of NGF dependence. Mature NGF was undetectable by these methods. High molecular weight NGF isoforms were also detected in ganglion homogenates, and persisted at diminished levels following axotomy. We conclude that sympathetic neurons express NGF mRNA, and synthesize and secrete pro-NGF protein. These findings suggest that a potential NGF-sympathetic neuron autocrine loop may exist in this prototypic target-dependent system, but that the secreted forms of this neurotrophin apparently do not support neuronal survival.