Renshaw Cell Ablation Increases Monosynaptic H-Reflex Amplitude in Decerebrate Mice
Poster at Motor Control: Spinal Circuits and Beyond , St Andrews, Scotland, UK
Abstract summary
To define the role of Renshaw cells (RCs) in motor control, we selectively ablated RCs in mature mice and measured the H-reflex, the electrical counterpart of the monosynaptic stretch reflex. A decerebrate preparation avoided anesthetic suppression of the reflex, and waveform timing criteria helped distinguish H-reflexes from overlapping M-responses in ankle-muscle electromyograms. Across animals, greater RC loss correlated with larger H-reflex amplitudes in both lateral gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior, indicating that RCs provide tonic inhibition of monosynaptic reflex circuits even without descending corticospinal input. The findings validate this model for future studies of RC function during unconstrained movement.
Authors: Andrew E. Worthy, Elizabeth L. Lane, Briella M. Lucadamo, William M. McCallum, and Francisco J. Alvarez.
Presentation details
- Topics: Premotor and propriospinal circuits; sensorimotor integration
- Poster session: Friday, June 20, 2025, 11:45 AM–2:45 PM
- Poster board: 63
Support
NIH-NINDS grants R01-NS047357 and T32-NS096050.