NEUROLOGICAL SUBSTRATES OF INDUCED LOCOMOTION

中脑运动区（MLR）的电刺激 在脑干中启动并维持行走 通过调节存在于 脊椎核心。 在过去的几年里，我们描述了 MLR的许多解剖和功能特征。 本提案的目的是为了更好地了解 功能和电/神经化学控制的额外的 运动和姿势诱导位点在三个水平的每一个 成年大鼠脊髓、颈膨大和 腰骶部增大 这代表了一个合乎逻辑的进展 形成MLR，投射到腹内侧网状 形成（MED），到MED，反过来，投影到脊柱 然后是脊髓本身。 该提案存在分歧 分成两组实验第一组是完整的脊髓 第二个是脊髓横断 在第一个系列中， 拟议中的研究将扩展我们的发现， 诱导运动后的MED刺激化学 激活这个网站。 我们将进一步描述MED 通过识别神经活性剂， 促进或抑制MLR诱导的运动。 电 刺激和化学注入将用于表征 运动控制系统在脊柱扩大和预- 扩大区域。 在第二个系列中，电气和化学 运动和姿势诱导系统的激活将是 在横断（在T10脊髓）中检查。 第一个实验 利用急性脊椎动物和第二慢性 横切的动物 这些研究将提供 关于控制脊髓运动振荡器的信息， “完整的”脊髓和对照组的变化， 急性和慢性“去神经支配”。 这些活动的总体目标 实验是通过电子和神经化学方法控制姿势 和运动，并为设计适当的 脊髓损伤患者的电/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.