Functional characterization of dI6 interneurons in the neonatal mouse spinal cord

DYCK, J.; LANUZA, G.M.; GOSGNACH, S.

JOURNAL OF NEUROPHYSIOLOGY

AMER PHYSIOLOGICAL SOC

Año: 2012 vol. 107 p. 3256 - 3266

0022-3077

Our understanding of the neural control of locomotion has been greatly enhanced by the ability to identify and manipulate genetically defined populations of interneurons that comprise the locomotor central pattern generator (CPG). To date, the dI6 interneurons are one of the few populations that settle in the ventral region of the postnatal spinal cord which have not been investigated. In the present study, we utilize a novel transgenic mouse line to electrophysiologically characterize a subset of dI6 interneurons located close to the central canal and study their function during fictive locomotion. The majority of dI6 cells investigated were found to be rhythmically active during fictive locomotion and could be divided into two functionally distinct populations of interneurons. The first fired rhythmic trains of action potentials that were loosely coupled to ventral root output, and contained several intrinsic membrane properties of rhythm generating neurons, raising the possibility that these cells may be involved in the initiation of rhythmic activity in the locomotor CPG. The second fired rhythmic trains of action potentials that were tightly coupled to ventral root output and lacked intrinsic oscillatory mechanisms, indicating that these neurons may be driven by a rhythm generating network. Together these results indicate that dI6 neurons comprise an important component of the locomotor CPG that participate in multiple facets of motor behavior.