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Molecular and Electrophysiological Properties of Motoneurons in the Mammalian Brain...
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Molecular and Electrophysiological Properties of Motoneurons in the Mammalian Brain and Spinal Cord

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Neurobiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2024) | Viewed by 5179

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hiroki Toyoda

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Neuroscience and Oral Physiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita 565-0871, Japan
Interests: trigeminal motoneuron; mastication; patch-clamp; synapse; ion channel
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Youngnam Kang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Behavioral Sciences, Osaka University Graduate School of Human Sciences, Suita 565-0871, Japan
Interests: trigeminal motoneuron; mastication; patch-clamp; synapse; ion channel

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Reasearch on the motoneuron in the mammalian brain and spinal cord regarding motor control and pathogenesis of motor diseases has remarkably progressed in the last several decades through the development of molecular and genetic engineering, genetics, transcriptomic and proteomic analysis and biophysics. In particular, it has now become possible to identify the various types of motoneurons, such as alpha and gamma motoneurons or fast and slow motoneurons, using the molecular markers and electrophysiological methods together with viral tracers. These progresses will lead to a better understanding of the brain and spinal cord mechanisms of motor control under healthy and disease conditions. For example, the work used viral tracers and molecular markers demonstrated that vestibular and proprioceptive systems control body balance by differentially regulating motoneurons that control functionally distinct muscles.

The objective of this Special Issue is to collect original and review articles to provide an overview of the current research on the molecular and electrophysiological properties of motoneurons in the mammalian brain and spinal cord.

Dr. Hiroki Toyoda
Dr. Youngnam Kang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

 

Keywords

  • motor control
  • motoneuron
  • synaptic inputs
  • moleculer marker
  • ion channel
  • firing pattern
  • amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
  • nitric oxide

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1710 KiB  
Article
Improvement in Motor and Walking Capacity during Multisegmental Transcutaneous Spinal Stimulation in Individuals with Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury
by Hatice Kumru, Aina Ros-Alsina, Loreto García Alén, Joan Vidal, Yury Gerasimenko, Agusti Hernandez and Mark Wrigth
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(8), 4480; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25084480 - 19 Apr 2024
Viewed by 460
Abstract
Transcutaneous multisegmental spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) has shown superior efficacy in modulating spinal locomotor circuits compared to single-site stimulation in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Building on these findings, we hypothesized that administering a single session of tSCS at multiple spinal segments [...] Read more.
Transcutaneous multisegmental spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) has shown superior efficacy in modulating spinal locomotor circuits compared to single-site stimulation in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Building on these findings, we hypothesized that administering a single session of tSCS at multiple spinal segments may yield greater enhancements in muscle strength and gait function during stimulation compared to tSCS at only one or two segments. In our study, tSCS was applied at single segments (C5, L1, and Coc1), two segments (C5-L1, C5-Coc1, and L1-Coc1), or multisegments (C5-L1-Coc1) in a randomized order. We evaluated the 6-m walking test (6MWT) and maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) and assessed the Hmax/Mmax ratio during stimulation in ten individuals with incomplete motor SCI. Our findings indicate that multisegmental tSCS improved walking time and reduced spinal cord excitability, as measured by the Hmax/Mmax ratio, similar to some single or two-site tSCS interventions. However, only multisegmental tSCS resulted in increased tibialis anterior (TA) muscle strength. These results suggest that multisegmental tSCS holds promise for enhancing walking capacity, increasing muscle strength, and altering spinal cord excitability in individuals with incomplete SCI. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and Electrophysiological Properties of Motoneurons in the Mammalian Brain and Spinal Cord)
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14 pages, 2494 KiB  
Article
Depolarization and Hyperexcitability of Cortical Motor Neurons after Spinal Cord Injury Associates with Reduced HCN Channel Activity
by Bruno Benedetti, Lara Bieler, Christina Erhardt-Kreutzer, Dominika Jakubecova, Ariane Benedetti, Maximilian Reisinger, Dominik Dannehl, Christian Thome, Maren Engelhardt and Sebastien Couillard-Despres
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(5), 4715; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24054715 - 01 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1768
Abstract
A spinal cord injury (SCI) damages the axonal projections of neurons residing in the neocortex. This axotomy changes cortical excitability and results in dysfunctional activity and output of infragranular cortical layers. Thus, addressing cortical pathophysiology after SCI will be instrumental in promoting recovery. [...] Read more.
A spinal cord injury (SCI) damages the axonal projections of neurons residing in the neocortex. This axotomy changes cortical excitability and results in dysfunctional activity and output of infragranular cortical layers. Thus, addressing cortical pathophysiology after SCI will be instrumental in promoting recovery. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cortical dysfunction after SCI are poorly resolved. In this study, we determined that the principal neurons of the primary motor cortex layer V (M1LV), those suffering from axotomy upon SCI, become hyperexcitable following injury. Therefore, we questioned the role of hyperpolarization cyclic nucleotide gated channels (HCN channels) in this context. Patch clamp experiments on axotomized M1LV neurons and acute pharmacological manipulation of HCN channels allowed us to resolve a dysfunctional mechanism controlling intrinsic neuronal excitability one week after SCI. Some axotomized M1LV neurons became excessively depolarized. In those cells, the HCN channels were less active and less relevant to control neuronal excitability because the membrane potential exceeded the window of HCN channel activation. Care should be taken when manipulating HCN channels pharmacologically after SCI. Even though the dysfunction of HCN channels partakes in the pathophysiology of axotomized M1LV neurons, their dysfunctional contribution varies remarkably between neurons and combines with other pathophysiological mechanisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and Electrophysiological Properties of Motoneurons in the Mammalian Brain and Spinal Cord)
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13 pages, 2602 KiB  
Article
Subcellular Localization of Homomeric TASK3 Channels and Its Presumed Functional Significances in Trigeminal Motoneurons
by Mitsuru Saito, Chie Tanaka, Hiroki Toyoda and Youngnam Kang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(1), 344; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24010344 - 25 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1134
Abstract
Somatic expressions of either heteromeric TASK1/3 or homomeric TASK1/1 channels have been reported in various neurons, while expression of homomeric TASK3/3 channels has been re-ported only in dendrites. However, it is not known why homomeric TASK3/3 channels are hardly seen in somata of [...] Read more.
Somatic expressions of either heteromeric TASK1/3 or homomeric TASK1/1 channels have been reported in various neurons, while expression of homomeric TASK3/3 channels has been re-ported only in dendrites. However, it is not known why homomeric TASK3/3 channels are hardly seen in somata of CNS neurons. Given the absence of somatic TASK3/3 channels, it should be clarified why dendritic expression of TASK3/3 channels is inevitable and necessary and how differentially distributed TASK1/1 and TASK3/3 channels play roles in soma-to-dendritic integration. Here, we addressed these questions. We found that TASK3-transfected HEK293 cells showed decreases in cell volume after being transferred from the cultured medium to HEPES Ringer, suggesting that expressions of TASK3 channels in cell bodies cause an osmolarity problem. Using TASK1- and TASK3-transfected oocytes, we also found that cGMP application slightly suppressed TASK3 currents while it largely enhanced TASK1 currents, alleviating the difference between TASK1 and TASK3 currents at physiological pH. As larger motoneurons have extensive dendritic trees while smaller motoneurons have poor ones, cGMP could integrate Ia-EPSPs to recruit small and large motoneurons synchronously by differentially modulating TASKI and TASK3 channels which were complementary distributed in soma and dendrites of motoneurons in the dorsolateral part of the trigeminal motor nucleus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and Electrophysiological Properties of Motoneurons in the Mammalian Brain and Spinal Cord)
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Review

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17 pages, 1966 KiB  
Review
Mechanisms of Action of Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation
by Alaa Abd-Elsayed, Swarnima Vardhan, Abhinav Aggarwal, Madhurima Vardhan and Sudhir A. Diwan
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(7), 3591; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25073591 - 22 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1038
Abstract
The dorsal root ganglion (DRG) serves as a pivotal site for managing chronic pain through dorsal root ganglion stimulation (DRG-S). In recent years, the DRG-S has emerged as an attractive modality in the armamentarium of neuromodulation therapy due to its accessibility and efficacy [...] Read more.
The dorsal root ganglion (DRG) serves as a pivotal site for managing chronic pain through dorsal root ganglion stimulation (DRG-S). In recent years, the DRG-S has emerged as an attractive modality in the armamentarium of neuromodulation therapy due to its accessibility and efficacy in alleviating chronic pain refractory to conventional treatments. Despite its therapeutic advantages, the precise mechanisms underlying DRG-S-induced analgesia remain elusive, attributed in part to the diverse sensory neuron population within the DRG and its modulation of both peripheral and central sensory processing pathways. Emerging evidence suggests that DRG-S may alleviate pain by several mechanisms, including the reduction of nociceptive signals at the T-junction of sensory neurons, modulation of pain gating pathways within the dorsal horn, and regulation of neuronal excitability within the DRG itself. However, elucidating the full extent of DRG-S mechanisms necessitates further exploration, particularly regarding its supraspinal effects and its interactions with cognitive and affective networks. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for optimizing neurostimulation technologies and improving clinical outcomes of DRG-S for chronic pain management. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the DRG anatomy, mechanisms of action of the DRG-S, and its significance in neuromodulation therapy for chronic pain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and Electrophysiological Properties of Motoneurons in the Mammalian Brain and Spinal Cord)
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