NEUROLOGICAL SUBSTRATES OF INDUCED LOCOMOTION

电刺激中脑运动区(MLR) 已知在脑干启动和维持行走- 通过调节运动振荡器来横切动物 脊椎被包裹住了。在过去的几年里，我们描述了 MLR的许多解剖和功能特征。 这项建议的目的是为了更好地了解 附加的功能和电/神经化学控制 在三个级别中的每个级别的运动和姿势诱导站点 成年大鼠神经轴-髓质、颈椎增大和 腰骶部增大。这代表了一个合乎逻辑的进程 形成MLR，投射到腹内侧网状结构 形成(MED)到MED，MED又投射到脊柱 然后，连接到脊髓本身。这项提议意见不一。 分为两个系列的实验-第一个是用完整的脊髓 第二个是脊髓横断。在第一个系列中， 这项拟议的研究将扩展我们在电学方面的发现 化学刺激MED后的诱发运动 激活此站点。我们将进一步描述MED的特征 递质系统通过识别神经活性物质 促进或抑制MLR诱导的运动。电气 将使用刺激和化学注射来表征 运动控制系统在脊柱扩大和前后路手术中的应用 扩大区域。在第二系列中，电气和化学 运动和姿势感应系统的激活将是 横断检查(在T10脊髓。第一个实验 利用尖锐的脊椎动物和第二种慢性的 被切割的动物。总而言之，这些研究将提供 关于脊柱运动振荡器的控制信息 “完整”的脊髓及其对照的变化 急性和慢性的“去神经”。这些项目的总体目标是 实验是通过电和神经化学来控制姿势 并为设计适当的运动和运动提供了依据 脊髓损伤病例的电/化疗策略。

Electrical stimulation of the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR) is known to initiate and maintain walking in the brainstem- transected animal by modulating locomotion oscillators present in the spinal cored. Over the past several years we have described many of the anatomical and functional characteristics of the MLR. The goal of this proposal is to gain a better understanding of the function and electrical/neurochemical control of additional locomotion- and posture-inducing sites at each of three levels of the adult rat neuraxis - medulla, cervical enlargement, and lumbosacral enlargement. This represents a logical progression form the MLR, which projects to the ventromedial reticular formation (MED), to the MED which, in turn, projects to the spinal cord and, then, to the spinal cord itself. The proposal is divided into two series of experiments - the first with intact spinal cords and the second with transected spinal cords. In the first series, the proposed research will extend our finding of electrically induced locomotion following stimulation of the MED to chemical activation of this site. We will further characterize the MED transmitter system by identifying neuroactive agents which facilitate or inhibit MLR induced locomotion. Electrical stimulation and chemical injections will be used to characterize locomotor control systems in the spinal enlargements and in pre- enlargement regions. In the second series, electrical and chemical activation of locomotion- and posture-inducing systems will be examined in transected (at T10 spinal cords. The first experiment utilizes acutely spinalized animals and the second chronically transected animals. Taken together, these studies will provide information on the control of spinal locomotion oscillators in "intact" spinal cords and the changes in that control following acute and chronic "denervation". The overall goal of these experiments is to electrically and neurochemically control posture and locomotion and to provide a basis for the design of appropriate electro/chemotherapeutic strategies in cases of spinal cord injury.