Spinal Interneurons as Gatekeepers to Neuroplasticity after Injury or Disease
- Lyandysha V. Zholudeva1,
- Victoria E. Abraira2,
- Kajana Satkunendrarajah3,4,
- Todd C. McDevitt1,5,
- Martyn D. Goulding6,
- David S. K. Magnuson7, and
- Michael A. Lane8
- 1Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, California, 94158
- 2Department of Cell Biology & Neuroscience, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, New Jersey, 08854
- 3Departments of Neurosurgery and Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, 53226
- 4Clement J. Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53295
- 5Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94143
- 6Salk Institute for Biological Sciences, La Jolla, California, 92037
- 7University of Louisville, Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, Louisville, Kentucky, 40208
- 8Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, and the Marion Murray Spinal Cord Research Center, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19129
Abstract
Spinal interneurons are important facilitators and modulators of motor, sensory, and autonomic functions in the intact CNS. This heterogeneous population of neurons is now widely appreciated to be a key component of plasticity and recovery. This review highlights our current understanding of spinal interneuron heterogeneity, their contribution to control and modulation of motor and sensory functions, and how this role might change after traumatic spinal cord injury. We also offer a perspective for how treatments can optimize the contribution of interneurons to functional improvement.
- Received June 30, 2020.
- Revision received December 15, 2020.
- Accepted December 17, 2020.
- Copyright © 2021 the authors
