Abstract
The remodeling of supraspinal axonal circuits mediates functional recovery after spinal cord injury. This process critically depends on the selection of appropriate synaptic connections between cortical projection and spinal relay neurons. To unravel the principles that guide this target selection, we used genetic and chemogenetic tools to modulate NMDA receptor (NMDAR) integrity and function, CREB-mediated transcription, and neuronal firing of relay neurons during injury-induced corticospinal remodeling. We show that NMDAR signaling and CREB-mediated transcription maintain nascent corticospinal tract (CST)-relay neuron contacts. These activity-dependent signals act during a defined period of circuit remodeling and do not affect mature or uninjured circuits. Furthermore, chemogenetic modulation of relay neuron activity reveals that the regrowing CST axons select their postsynaptic partners in a competitive manner and that preventing such activity-dependent shaping of corticospinal circuits limits motor recovery after spinal cord injury.
Item Type: | Journal article |
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Faculties: | Medicine Medicine > Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy) |
Research Centers: | Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences (GSN) |
Subjects: | 600 Technology > 610 Medicine and health 500 Science > 500 Science |
URN: | urn:nbn:de:bvb:19-epub-78345-2 |
ISSN: | 0022-1007 |
Language: | English |
Item ID: | 78345 |
Date Deposited: | 15. Dec 2021, 14:43 |
Last Modified: | 07. Jun 2024, 11:35 |
DFG: | Gefördert durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - 390857198 |