Magown, P; Rafuse, VF; Brownstone, RM; (2017) Microcircuit formation following transplantation of mouse embryonic stem cell-derived neurons into peripheral nerve. Journal of Neurophysiology , 117 (4) pp. 1683-1689. 10.1152/jn.00943.2016.

Preview

Text Brownstone_102414_1_merged_1484152441.pdf - Accepted Version Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

Motoneurons derived from embryonic stem cells can be transplanted into the tibial nerve, where they extend axons to functionally innervate target muscle. Here, we studied spontaneous muscle contractions in these grafts three months following transplantation. One-half of the transplanted grafts generated rhythmic muscle contractions of variable patterns, either spontaneously or in response to brief electrical stimulation. Activity generated by transplanted embryonic stem cell-derived neurons was driven by glutamate and was modulated by muscarinic and GABAergic/glycinergic transmission. Furthermore, rhythmicity was promoted by the same transmitter combination that evokes rhythmic locomotor activity in spinal cord circuits. These results demonstrate that there is a degree of self-assembly of microcircuits in these peripheral grafts involving embryonic stem cell-derived motoneurons and interneurons. Such spontaneous activity is reminiscent of embryonic circuit development in which spontaneous activity is essential for proper connectivity and function, and may be necessary for the grafts to form functional connections with muscle.

Download activity - last month

Export as XMLCSVJSON

Download activity - last 12 months

Export as JSONCSVXML

Downloads by country - last 12 months

Export as JSONCSVXML

Archive Staff Only

View Item