Chronically isolated lumbar half spinal cord, produced by hemisection and longitudinal myelotomy, generates locomotor activities of the ipsilateral hindlimb of the cat.
The lumbar spinal cord of the cat was hemisected (at L2 or L3) as well as longitudinally myelotomized so as to make one side of the lumbar cord 'isolated' chronically from both descending and contralateral influences. The chronic cats began to stand up with their two forelimbs and one hindlimb, contralateral to the hemisection, and to walk with the 3 legs 14 days on average after the two operations. After another 20 days following the 3-leg movement the 'isolated' leg resumed to stand and walk. These results show that half of the lumbar cord can generate a locomotor pattern which was presumably reactivated from peripheral afferent impulses.
Kato
M
M
Department of Physiology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000502:physiology*; D008124:Locomotion; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000502:physiology*