Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsFindings offer potential significance to the recovery of walking after spinal cord...

Findings offer potential significance to the recovery of walking after spinal cord injury

| Source: news-medical.net

Researchers at the medical university Karolinska Institutet have created a genetically modified mouse in which certain neurons can be activated by blue light. Shining blue light on brainstems or spinal cords isolated from these mice produces walking-like motor activity. The findings, which are published in the scientific journal Nature Neuroscience, are of potential significance to the recovery of walking after spinal cord injury.

“This new mouse model will impact the way in which future studies examining the organization of neurons involved in walking are performed. We hope that our findings can provide insight that eventually will contribute to treatments for spinal cord injured patients”, says Professor Ole Kiehn, who lead the study.

Excitatory neurons have been suggested to play an important role for the initiation and maintenance of locomotion, or walking. However, this has not been demonstrated directly. In order to test the hypothesis that activation of excitatory neurons is essential to locomotion, a research team at the Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, created a genetically modified mouse which expresses a light sensitive protein in excitatory neurons.

The light sensitive protein, Channelrhodopsin2 (ChR2), is normally found in algae and activates the cell it is expressed in when exposed to blue light. ChR2 has previously been introduced into rodent cells by viral infection, but this can be problematic due to exposure and replication demands. The researchers circumvented the problems by creating the first genetically modified mouse to successfully express ChR2 in a specific set of neurons.

By inserting ChR2 into nerve cells expressing Vglut2 – a transporter found in most excitatory neurons in the brainstem and spinal cord as well as many excitatory neurons in other regions of the brain – they created a Vglut2-ChR2 mouse . The reason for doing this was to be able to selectively activate excitatory neurons in specific regions of the brainstem and spinal cord, as the excitatory neurons are believed to be important for initiating locomotion, or walking.

The researchers then recorded from motor nerves leaving the spinal cord. When blue light was shined directly on the spinal cord, walking-like activity began and was maintained for the duration of the light pulse. This proved that activation of Vglut2-expressing excitatory neurons in the spinal cord is sufficient for walking. Walking-like activity could also be initiated by exposing the lower brainstem to blue light, demonstrating that excitatory cells in the brainstem provide a sufficient ‘go’ signal to the spinal neurons involved in walking.

All the experiments were made in vitro in the laboratory and not in living animals.

Source: Karolinska Institutet

1 COMMENT

  1. When someone experiences nerve damage whether caused by a spinal cord injury or other they never know which way to turn or what path they should take. Many doctors will not give you much encouragement, what do you do where do you go. The field of stem cells is the future for nerve regeneration and spinal cord injuries.

    A brilliant scientist working with a botanical extract for the past fifteen years has some great news for you. If you are anyone you know is dealing with nerve damage or any other disease or condition stem cells are the answer. Christian Drapeau released a book in mid December 09 it went right to the best sellers list “Cracking the Stem Cell Code” http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/cracking-the-stem-cell-code-reaches-amazons-best-seller-list-130798.php

    I personal have been on the product for a year and a half and I feel 20 years younger and I do not get sick anymore. I am able to run again and do much more with plenty of energy and mental clarity. I can go on for a long time on what StemEnhance has done for me, but I think you would like to see more. I met Jason Leuck a young gentlemen in early Oct 2009 at a stem cell awareness event. Jason was in an accident about twenty months ago and became paralyzed chest down T4 severed spinal cord. After talking with him he decided to try StemEnhance three days after He started on the product he started to journal live on the Internet if you would like to read what StemEnhnace is doing for him click here. http://askjasonleuck.wordpress.com/

    Jason will be walking again I am convinced and so is Jason. Let me know how Jason and I can help you.

    http://www.raymumme.com
    raymumme@gmail.com
    314-488-4454

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

- Advertisment -

Must Read

Managing Pressure Injuries – Free Course on Cortree from SCIO

Pressure injuries are a health concern for many people with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities. As we age, our level of mobility and...