HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 96/4/1718    most recent 00470.2006v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (4) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Carp, J. S. Articles by Wolpaw, J. R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Carp, J. S. Articles by Wolpaw, J. R.

H-Reflex Operant Conditioning in Mice

¹Laboratory of Nervous System Disorders, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany; and ²State University of New York, Albany, New York

Submitted 3 May 2006; accepted in final form 21 June 2006

Rats, monkeys, and humans can alter the size of their spinal stretch reflex and its electrically induced analog, the H-reflex (HR), when exposed to an operant conditioning paradigm. Because this conditioning induces plasticity in the spinal cord, it offers a unique opportunity to identify the neuronal sites and mechanisms that underlie a well-defined change in a simple behavior. To facilitate these studies, we developed an HR operant conditioning protocol in mice, which are better suited to genetic manipulation and electrophysiological spinal cord study in vitro than rats or primates. Eleven mice under deep surgical anesthesia were implanted with tibial nerve stimulating electrodes and soleus and gastrocnemius intramuscular electrodes for recording ongoing and stimulus-evoked EMG activity. During the 24-h/day computer-controlled experiment, mice received a liquid reward for either increasing (up-conditioning) or decreasing (down-conditioning) HR amplitude while maintaining target levels of ongoing EMG and directly evoked EMG (M-responses). After 3–7 wk of conditioning, the HR amplitude was 133 ± 7% (SE) of control for up-conditioning and 71 ± 8% of control for down-conditioning. HR conditioning was successful (i.e., 20% change in HR amplitude in the appropriate direction) in five of six up-conditioned animals (mean final HR amplitude = 139 ± 5% of control HR for successful mice) and in four of five down-conditioned animals (mean final HR amplitude = 63 ± 8% of control HR for successful mice). These effects were not attributable to differences in the net level of motoneuron pool excitation, stimulation strength, or distribution of HR trials throughout the day. Thus mice exhibit HR operant conditioning comparable with that observed in rats and monkeys.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				X. Y. Chen, S. Pillai, Y. Chen, Y. Wang, L. Chen, J. S. Carp, and J. R. Wolpaw Spinal and Supraspinal Effects of Long-Term Stimulation of Sensorimotor Cortex in Rats J Neurophysiol, August 1, 2007; 98(2): 878 - 887. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Meunier, H. Russmann, M. Simonetta-Moreau, and M. Hallett Changes in Spinal Excitability After PAS J Neurophysiol, April 1, 2007; 97(4): 3131 - 3135. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]