Characterization of neuronal pool populations involved during unique locomotor tasks in completely transected spinal rats using c‐fos

Preliminary results from our lab show that spinal transected rats that are trained in unique locomotor tasks‐ forward, sideward and backward stepping on a treadmill‐ are able to step in the forward direction with unique EMG burst patterns and hindlimb kinematics after five weeks of training. This suggests that neuronal pools that were activated during training were able to act in synergy with those involved in forward stepping to produce forward movement. However, there is no anatomical evidence that confirms the existence of distinct neuronal pool populations for the different stepping behaviors. The current study aims to characterize the extent and pattern of activation of neuronal populations in animals with uniquely assigned stepping behaviors using c‐fos, an immediate early gene. Complete transected rats received treadmill training for seven weeks in their respective training groups with epidural stimulation and quipazine in order to strengthen the neuronal populations involved in their unique mode of stepping. Before euthanasia, animals stepped in accordance to their training groups for 60 minutes. The animals were perfused transcardially and the cords were processed for c‐fos. Although we are in the process of analyzing data from this study, we expect to observe a distinction in neuronal activity between the laminae of different training groups. Funded by Roman Reed Foundation and NIH grant NS062009‐01A1