Increased spinal c-Fos expression with noxious and non-noxious peripheral stimulation after severe spinal contusion.
The effects of severe contusive spinal cord injury (SCI), at thoracic level 8 (T8), on lumbar c-Fos expression in the spinal cord was investigated. As hypothesized, chronic SCI has a significant effect on expression of c-Fos in the dorsal spinal sensory areas with noxious and innocuous peripheral stimulation of the sciatic nerve. This alteration to stimulation effects was measured using counts of c-Fos immunoreactive cells in the dorsal horn of the L5 lumbar spinal cord in injured animals at 90 days post-injury and in uninjured controls. The number of c-Fos immunoreactive cells increased in SCI rats only after noxious peripheral stimulation (electrical and chemical) suggesting a general increase in excitability in spinal pathways (central sensitization) associated with chronic SCI. These altered responses may represent a functional anatomical reorganization of spinal cord circuitry leading to increased dorsal horn c-Fos expression as a response to severe chronic contusive damage to the spinal cord sensory pathways.
Berrocal
Y A
YA
The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Miami, FL 33136, United States.
Pearse
D D
DD
Andrade
C M
CM
Hechtman
J F
JF
Puentes
R
R
Eaton
M J
MJ
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005557:Formaldehyde / Q000009:adverse effects; D007839:Functional Laterality; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000378:metabolism*; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010812:Physical Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013126:Spinal Nerve Roots / Q000473:pathology*
D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D005557:Formaldehyde