Neuroanatomical and electrophysiological characteristics of dorsal column stimulation in the adult mouse Open Access

Kravitz, Mark (2017)

Permanent URL: https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/9s1617038?locale=en
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Abstract

In this study, I present anatomical and physiological findings related to the composition of primary afferents in the adult mouse dorsal column. Analyzing electron microscope images, I manually counted unmyelinated and myelinated axons, calculated mean axon diameters, and characterized distribution of these fibers throughout the dorsal column. My findings demonstrate the presence of both myelinated and unmyelinated fibers with diameters consistent with A-beta, A-delta , and C fibers. Using in vitro electrophysiology techniques in four adult mouse spinal cords, I recorded and analyzed the recruitment of afferent fiber populations in the L6 and S1 dorsal roots during medial dorsal column stimulation at the T10 and L5 segmental levels in the presence of high and low concentrations of calcium. My findings demonstrate the recruitment of A-beta, A-delta, and C fibers as well as calcium-dependent, synaptically mediated activity. This study is significant in that it is one of the few of its kind to be done in adult mouse whole spinal cord preparations, an important model of the mammalian central nervous system. The findings presented in this study add to an understudied field of basic neuroanatomy and electrophysiology of the mechanism underlying dorsal column stimulation, a neurostimulatory therapy currently used clinically for chronic pain, but with potential uses in other neurological disorders.

Table of Contents

Introduction and Background………………………………………………………..……………..………1

Objectives……………………………………………………………………………………………………………7

Materials and Methods………………………………………..……………………………………………...10

Results………………………………………………………………………………………………………………16

Discussion………………………………………………………………………………………………………….19

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………...…….22

References…………………………………………………………………………………………………………23

Tables and Figures…………………………………………………………………………………..…………28



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