Temporal neurotransmitter conditioning restores the functional activity of adult spinal cord neurons in long-term culture.
The ability to culture functional adult mammalian spinal cord neurons represents an important step in the understanding and treatment of a spectrum of neurological disorders including spinal cord injury. Previously, the limited functional recovery of these cells, as characterized by a diminished ability to initiate action potentials and to exhibit repetitive firing patterns, has arisen as a major impediment to their physiological relevance. In this report, we demonstrate that single temporal doses of the neurotransmitters serotonin, glutamate (N-acetyl-DL-glutamic acid) and acetylcholine-chloride lead to the full electrophysiological functional recovery of adult mammalian spinal cord neurons, when they are cultured under defined serum-free conditions. Approximately 60% of the neurons treated regained their electrophysiological signature, often firing single, double and, most importantly, multiple action potentials.
Das
Mainak
M
NanoScience Technology Center, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32826, USA.
Bhargava
Neelima
N
Bhalkikar
Abhijeet
A
Kang
Jung Fong
JF
Hickman
James J
JJ
D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D020934:Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D004594:Electrophysiology; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000187:drug effects; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D051381:Rats; D012701:Serotonin / Q000494:pharmacology; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000187:drug effects; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000494:pharmacology
D020934:Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D012701:Serotonin; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D000109:Acetylcholine; C073922:neurotrophin 4