The Journal of Neurophysiology Vol. 86 No. 6 December 2001, pp. 2939-2950
Copyright ©2001 by the American Physiological Society

Neuronal Bursting Induced by NK₃ Receptor Activation in the Neonatal Rat Spinal Cord In Vitro

Biophysics Sector and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica della Materia Unit, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), 34014 Trieste, Italy

Marchetti, Cristina and Andrea Nistri. Neuronal Bursting Induced by NK₃ Receptor Activation in the Neonatal Rat Spinal Cord In Vitro. J. Neurophysiol. 86: 2939-2950, 2001. Intracellular recording from lumbar motoneurons and extracellular recording from ventral roots of the neonatal rat isolated spinal cord were used to study the mechanisms responsible for the excitation mediated by NK₃ tachykinin receptors. The selective NK₃ agonists senktide or [MePhe7]neurokinin B induced a slow depolarization with superimposed oscillations (mean period ± SD was 2.8 ± 0.8 s) that, in the majority of cases, showed left-right alternation at segmental level and were synchronous between L₂ and L₅ of the same side. During agonist wash out (5-20 min) a delayed form of hyperexcitability emerged consisting of bursts lasting 8 ± 2 s (average interburst interval 55 ± 21 s) with superimposed oscillations usually with homosegmental alternation and heterosegmental synchronicity. Such bursting was accompanied by depression of GABAergic dorsal root potentials evoked by dorsal root stimulation and of the recurrent inhibitory postsynaptic potential recorded from motoneurons. Despite bursting, motoneuron membrane potential returned to baseline while input resistance was increased. Bursts were a network-dependent phenomenon triggered by previous NK₃ receptor activation because bursting was suppressed by glutamate receptor antagonists and was insensitive to motoneuron membrane potential or subsequent application of an NK₃ receptor antagonist. NK₃ receptors operated synergistically with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) to trigger fully alternating locomotor-like rhythms while NK₃ receptor antagonism disrupted the same rhythm. In summary, in the neonatal rat spinal cord NK₃ receptors could trigger rhythmic activity predominantly with alternation at segmental level but with synchronous coupling between ipsilateral motor pools. NK₃ receptor activation could also facilitate fictive locomotor patterns induced by NMDA and 5-HT.