Adult spinal motoneurons change their neurotransmitter phenotype to control locomotion.

ABSTRACT: A particularly essential determinant of a neuron's functionality is its neurotransmitter phenotype. While the prevailing view is that neurotransmitter phenotypes are fixed and determined early during development, a growing body of evidence suggests that neurons retain the ability to switch between different neurotransmitters. However, such changes are considered unlikely in motoneurons due to their crucial functional role in animals' behavior. Here we describe the expression and dynamics of glutamatergic neurotransmission in the adult zebrafish spinal motoneuron circuit assembly. We demonstrate that part of the fast motoneurons retain the ability to switch their neurotransmitter phenotype under physiological (exercise/training) and pathophysiological (spinal cord injury) conditions to core

SUBMITTER: Bertuzzi M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6196516 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature