In neonatal mice, fast- and slow-type motoneurons display different patterns of discharge. In response to a long liminal current pulse, the discharge is delayed up to several seconds in fast-type motoneurons and their firing frequency accelerates. In contrast, slow-type motoneurons discharge immediately, and their firing frequency decreases at the beginning of the pulse. Here, we identify the i...

In the absence of locomotion, activation of extensor muscle spindle (Ia) and tendon organ (Ib) afferents evokes a widespread pattern of interneuronally mediated inhibition and excitation through the non-reciprocal reflex systems (1). During the extension phase of fictive locomotion, however, the same afferents evoke a disynaptic excitation of extensor motoneurons (2). Recently it has been repor...

The cellular mechanisms underlying embryonic motility were investigated using intracellular recording from motoneurons and electrotonic recording from muscle nerves during motor activity generated by an isolated spinal cord preparation of 12- to 15-d-old chick embryos. DC-coupled recordings from sartorius (a flexor) and femorotibialis (an extensor) muscle nerves revealed that both sets of moton...

We studied the rapid changes in electrical properties of lumbar motoneurons between postnatal days 3 and 9 just before mice weight-bear and walk. The input conductance and rheobase significantly increased up to P8. A negative correlation exists between the input resistance (Rin) and rheobase. Both parameters are significantly correlated with the total dendritic surface area of motoneurons, the ...

The isolated spinal cord of the chick embryo generates episodes of rhythmic bursting in which sartorius (hip flexor) and femorotibialis (knee extensor) motoneurons exhibit characteristic patterns of activity. At the beginning of each cycle both sets of motoneurons discharge synchronously. Following this brief synchronous activation sartorius motoneurons stop firing at the time of peak femorotib...

Embryonic motoneurons from mutant SOD1 (mSOD1) mouse models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but not wild-type motoneurons, can be triggered to die by exposure to nitric oxide (NO), leading to activation of a motoneuron-specific signaling pathway downstream of the death receptor Fas/CD95. To identify effectors of mSOD1-dependent cell death, we performed a proteomic analysis. Treatment of...

These experiments were performed to re-examine the presence of a recurrent inhibitory pathway to phrenic motoneurons in cats. Following intracellular staining of 49 phrenic motoneurons with horseradish peroxidase, initial axon collaterals were demonstrated in six axons (12%). Intracellular recording and averaging of the synaptic responses evoked by stimulation of the phrenic roots with an inten...

BACKGROUND The survival and differentiation of motoneurons during embryonic development, and the maintenance of their function in the postnatal phase, are regulated by a great variety of neurotrophic molecules which mediate their effects through different receptor systems. The multifactorial support of motoneurons represents a system of high security, because the inactivation of individual liga...

Motoneuron loss is a significant medical problem, capable of causing severe movement disorders or even death. We have previously shown that motoneuron death induces marked dendritic atrophy in surviving nearby motoneurons. Additionally, in quadriceps motoneurons, this atrophy is accompanied by decreases in motor nerve activity. However, treatment with testosterone partially attenuates changes i...

In the stick insect, Cuniculina impigra, intracellular recordings from mesothoracic motoneurons that control flexion and extension of the tibia and depression and levation of the trochantero-femur were made while the leg performed walking-like movements on a treadband or stereotyped rhythmic searching movements. We were interested in how synaptic input and intrinsic properties contribute to for...