Transganglionic degenerative atrophy in the substantia gelatinosa of the spinal cord after peripheral nerve transection in rhesus monkeys

Summary The effect of sciatic nerve transection on its centrally located terminals in the spinal cord was analyzed by electron microscopy in adult rhesus monkeys one and three months following lesion. Although the peripheral and intermediate portions of the dorsal roots, where the axons are enveloped by Schwann cells were normal, their central portion and their terminals in the substantia gelatinosa were remarkably altered. Transganglionic degenerative atrophy (TDA) is characterized by three distinct types of electronmicroscopic alterations. The first type exhibits a conspicuous electron density of the terminal and pre-terminal axoplasm. Importantly, shrinkage replaces fragmentation and glial engulfement of the terminal seen in the course of Wallerian degeneration. The second type is characterized by the disappearance of synaptic vesicles from the terminals. The third type of TDA consists of intricate labyrinthine structures, composed of flattened profiles of axonal, dendritic and glial elements. The complex and diverse cellular changes that occur in the upper dorsal horn following peripheral nerve injury may provide the structural basis of plasticity of the primary nociceptive system.     

Physiological types of substantia gelatinosa neurons in the rat spinal cord

Electrophysiological properties of neurons in the substantia gelatinosa (SG, or lamina II) were studied in vitro in spinal cord slices from 3-to 5-week-old rats. Based on the type of action potentials (APs) firing in response to long depolarization (0.5 to 0.8 sec), neurons were categorized into three types: tonic (APs were generated over the whole duration of the stimulus, n = 26, or 41.2%), adapting (a few APs occurred only at the beginning of stimulation, n = 8, 12.7%), and delayed-firing neurons, DFNs (APs occurred at the end of stimulation, n = 22, 35.1%); 11% of the cells had intermediate properties. Neurons of each type expressed distinct ion currents that were subthreshold for AP generation (< −40 mV). Tonic and adapting neurons either had no subthreshold currents (n = 21, or 61.3%) or expressed T-type calcium currents (n = 13, or 38.7%). All DFNs had outward A-type potassium currents. Statistical analysis confirmed this classification scheme: neurons of each type were differentially distributed in a 3-D parametric space of the main cellular properties. Distributions of tonic and adapting neurons partially overlapped, while that of DFNs differed significantly from both the above groups. It is suggested that DFNs perform a special function in the processing of sensory information; the functions of tonic and adapting neurons might be rather similar to each other. Neirofiziologiya/Neurophysiology, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp. 191–198, May–June, 2008.     

Noradrenergic axon terminals in the substantia gelatinosa of the rat spinal cord

Summary The noradrenergic terminals in the substantia gelatinosa of the dorsal horn of the cervical spinal cord of the rat were investigated by means of the histofluorescence technique and electron-microscopic cytochemistry using the glyoxylic acid-KMnO₄ fixation technique. In accordance with the topographical distribution of fluorescent catecholaminergic fibers, noradrenergic terminals containing small granular vesicles were frequently observed electron microscopically in the outer layer of the substantia gelatinosa. These terminals were most frequently found to appose without showing typical synaptic features, small-caliber dendrites, spine apparatus, and rarely, large caliber dendrites. Only in a few cases, the noradrenergic terminals exhibited typical synaptic contacts with dendritic elements of small size. In addition, noradrenergic terminals apposed non-noradrenergic terminals containing small agranular vesicles. In rats bearing surgical lesions of the dorsal roots, no noradrenergic terminal were found in contact with the degenerated axon terminals in the substantia gelatinosa. These findings suggest that the noradrenergic afferents to the substantia gelatinosa may exert their influence on sensory transmission via dorsal horn cells.     

A multivariate approach to the treatment of peripheral nerve transection injury: the role of electromagnetic field therapy

A multivariate approach to the treatment of peripheral nerve transection injury has been used in a rat model. A pilot study (48 animals, 8 groups) examined variables associated with the method and timing of surgical repair, the arrest of wallerian degeneration, and the role of pulsing electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF) in functional recovery. A second phase (90 animals, 6 groups) then studied the timing and duration of pulsing electromagnetic field therapy as the only variable in larger groups of animals. The pilot study revealed that a vein-graft conduit did not improve functional recovery compared with standard epineurial repair. Additionally, delayed repair compared favorably with immediate repair. The use of chlorpromazine to inhibit the toxic effects of calcium influx appeared to enhance early functional recovery, and the combination of delayed nerve repair and pulsing electromagnetic field therapy seemed to consistently improve function. The second phase of the study has demonstrated (for the first time) statistical improvement in ambulation in animals treated with delayed surgical repair and prolonged pulsing electromagnetic field therapy. We postulate that future treatment of nerve transection injuries will involve a combined treatment regimen consisting of the immediate arrest of wallerian degeneration, delayed surgery, and pulsing electromagnetic field therapy.     

The organization of the substantia gelatinosa rolandi in the cat lumbosacral spinal cord

Summary The organization of the substantia gelatinosa and adjacent lamina III in cat lumbo-sacral spinal cord has been studied by light and electron microscopical techniques in normal cord and following dorsal root section.The substantia gelatinosa (lamina II of Rexed) is characterized by bundles of small, non-myelinated axons, principally oriented longitudinally. The substantia gelatinosa cells are small, spindle shaped, with a cytoplasm generally devoid of Nissl substance. There are extensive axo-dendritic and axo-axonal contacts within the substantia gelatinosa and less frequent axo-somatic contacts.Larger marginal cells oriented horizontally on the surface of the substantia gelatinosa and containing Nissl substance are also seen.Lamina III is somewhat similar to the substantia gelatinosa, but lacks the complex bundles of non-myelinated axons.Following dorsal root section, heavy degeneration is seen by light and electron microscopy in lamina III, but is rarely seen in the substantia gelatinosa. It is concluded that the substantia gelatinosa and lamina III are distinct anatomically and therefore may differ functionally.The possible physiological role of the substantia gelatinosa is discussed.This work was supported by a Special Fellowship 2F11 NB 1140 02 NSRB from the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness, United States Public Health Service.The author is indebted to Dr. E. G.Gray for his excellent advice. I thank Dr. R. W. Guillery, Dr. L. E. Westeum and Dr. B. G. Cragg for their assistance, and Prof. J. Z. Young, F. R. S. for his kind suggestions. I also wish to thank Mr. S. Waterman for the photography.     

Effect of nitric oxide on hyperpolarization-activated current in substantia gelatinosa neurons of rats

Central sensitization is the hyperexcitability of spinal processing after peripheral nerve injury or inflammation. This phenomenon may be associated with nitric oxide (NO) signal pathway in synapse. Here, we have investigated the effect of NO on hyperpolarization-activated inward current (I(h)) in substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurons, using the whole-cell patch clamp technique. I(h) was increased by the application of sodium nitro prusside (SNP, a NO donor) or 8Br-cGMP. The stimulatory effects of NO were abolished by guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, ODQ, suggesting that the effect of NO was mediated by cGMP. However, this effect of NO was not prevented by the pretreatment with KT5823, PKG inhibitor. Taken together, the activation of I(h) in SG neurons could be mediated by NO-cGMP dependent pathway. These results reveal an involvement of NO in excitability of SG neuron via the activation of I(h) may be associated with central sensitization.     

Neonatal superior ovarian nerve transection disturbs the cyclic activity of the female rats

The neural pathway most related with ovarian steroidogenesis has been identified as the superior ovarian nerve (SON). This work constitutes the first study of the effects of early ovarian SON transection, which was performed in rats of 4 days of age (SON-t rats) to magnify the effects of the denervation. The rats were studied at the prepubertal (30 days), peripubertal (41 days) and adult cyclic in dioestrus (60 days) reproductive stages. The SON-t rats showed a delay of vaginal opening, a notable disruption of oestrous cyclicity, and a large number of corpora lutea. In all the stages, the circulating levels of FSH, prolactin and growth hormone were lower in SON-t rats than in controls, whereas LH did not vary. Serum androstenedione levels were higher in SON-t rats at 30 days and lower at 41 days, compared with control animals while no difference was observed at 60 days. Serum progesterone levels did not differ between control and SON-t, but serum oestradiol concentrations were higher in SON-t rats in all of the stages. At the peripubertal stage, there were fewer ovarian beta-adrenergic receptors in SON-t ovaries, associated with a rise in the ovarian content of norepinephrine, but no changes were observed in SON-t rats at 30 and 60 days with respect to the controls. The release of progesterone in vitro from luteal cell in SON-t rats at 60 days was reduced in basal condition and under ovine LH or FSH stimulation, when compared with control animals; while no difference was observed in presence of isoproterenol or androstenedione in the culture medium. In corpora lutea of SON-t rats at 60 days, no change was observed in the activity of 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3beta-HSD), but the activity of 20alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (20alpha-HSD) was reduced, suggesting abnormal luteolysis in spite of the large number of corpora lutea. The interruption of innervation at an early age by SON transection is very important in the regulation of ovarian development in prepubertal and cyclic rats. The functional changes observed in the ovary suggest a possible alteration in the hypothalamic-hypophyseal axis.     

Effect of cervical sympathetic trunk transection on renal sympathetic nerve activity in rats

Stellate ganglion blockade (SGB) with a local anesthetic increases muscle sympathetic nerve activity in the tibial nerve in humans. However, whether this sympathetic excitation in the tibial nerve is due to a sympathetic blockade in the neck itself, or due to infiltration of a local anesthetic to adjacent nerves including the vagus nerve remains unknown. To rule out one mechanism, we examined the effects of cervical sympathetic trunk transection on renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) in anesthetized rats. Seven rats were anesthetized with intraperitoneal urethane. RSNA together with arterial blood pressure and heart rate were recorded for 15 min before and 30 min after left cervical sympathetic trunk transection. The baroreceptor unloading RSNA obtained by decreasing arterial blood pressure with administration of sodium nitroprusside was also measured. Left cervical sympathetic trunk transection did not have any significant effects on RSNA, baroreceptor unloading RSNA, arterial blood pressure, and heart rate. These data suggest that there was no compensatory increase in RSNA when cervical sympathetic trunk was transected and that the increase in sympathetic nerve activity in the tibial nerve during SGB in humans may result from infiltration of a local anesthetic to adjacent nerves rather than a sympathetic blockade in the neck itself.     

Group I mGluR regulates the polarity of spike-timing dependent plasticity in substantia gelatinosa neurons

The spinal synaptic plasticity is associated with a central sensitization of nociceptive input, which accounts for the generation of hyperalgesia in chronic pain. However, how group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) may operate spinal plasticity remains essentially unexplored. Here, we have identified spike-timing dependent synaptic plasticity in substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurons, using perforated patch-clamp recordings of SG neuron in a spinal cord slice preparation. In the presence of bicuculline and strychnine, long-term potentiation (LTP) was blocked by AP-5 and Ca2+ chelator BAPTA-AM. The group I mGluR antagonist AIDA, PLC inhibitor U-73122, and IP3 receptor blocker 2-APB shifted LTP to long-term depression (LTD) without affecting acute synaptic transmission. These findings provide a link between postsynaptic group I mGluR/PLC/IP3-gated Ca2+ store regulating the polarity of synaptic plasticity and spinal central sensitization.     

依托咪酯对成年大鼠脊髓胶状质局部突触传递的作用

应用盲插全细胞膜片钳技术,在成年大鼠脊髓薄片上观察依托咪酯(etomidate,ET)对脊髓胶状质局部突触传递的影响。实验结果显示,在钳制电压为-70mV时,500μmol/L的ET对微小兴奋性突触后电流(mEPSC)的持续时间、频率和幅度都无明显的作用。在钳制电压为0mV时,50μmol/L的ET使GABA能微小抑制性突触后电流(mIPSC)的持续时间延长45.57±12.46%(P<0.05),但对其频率和幅度无影响。同样在钳制电压为0mV的情况下,50μmol/L的ET对甘氨酸能mIPSC的持续时间、频率及幅度均无作用。以上结果表明,在成年大鼠的脊髓胶状质,ET主要通过延长GABA能mIPSC的持续时间,即延长受体通道的开放时间发挥作用,ET对于兴奋性的突触传递没有直接的作用。     

Alterations in the morphology of ganglion cell dendrites in the adult rat retina after optic nerve transection and grafting of peripheral nerve segments

Summary Transected ganglion cell axons from the adult retina are capable of reinnervating their central targets by growing into transplanted peripheral nerve (PN) segments. Injury of the optic nerve causes various metabolic and morphological changes in the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) perikarya and in the dendrites. The present work examined the dendritic trees of those ganglion cells surviving axotomy and of those whose severed axons re-elongated in PN grafts to reach either the superior colliculus (SC), transplanted SC, or transplanted autologous thigh muscle. The elaboration of the dendritic trees was visualized by means of the strongly fluorescent carbocyanine dye DiI, which is taken up by axons and transported to the cell bodies and from there to the dendritic branches. Alternatively, retinofugal axons regrowing through PN grafts were anterogradely filled from the eye cup with rhodamine B-isothiocyanate. The transection of the optic nerve resulted in characteristic changes in the ganglion cell dendrites, particularly in the degeneration of most of the terminal and preterminal dendritic branches. This occurred within the first 1 to 2 weeks following axotomy. The different types of ganglion cells appear to vary in their sensitivity to axotomy, as reflected by a rapid degeneration of certain cell dendrites after severance of the optic nerve. The most vulnerable cells were those with small perikarya and small dendritic fields (type II), whereas larger cells with larger dendritic fields (type I and III) were slower to respond and less dramatically affected. Regrowth of the lesioned axons in peripheral nerve grafts and reconnection of the retina with various tissues did not result in a significant immediate recovery of ganglion cell dendrites, although it did prevent some axotomized cells from further progression toward posttraumatic cell death.