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. 1986 Apr;83(8):2763–2766. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.8.2763

Functional regeneration following spinal transection demonstrated in the isolated spinal cord of the larval sea lamprey.

A H Cohen, S A Mackler, M E Selzer
PMCID: PMC323381  PMID: 3458237

Abstract

Axons in the larval sea lamprey can regenerate across the site of a spinal cord transection and form functioning synapses with some of their normal target neurons. The animals recover normal-appearing locomotion, but whether the regenerating axons and their synaptic connections are capable of playing a functional role during this behavior is unknown. To test this, "fictive" swimming was induced in the isolated spinal cord by the addition of D-glutamate to the bathing solution. Ventral root discharges of segments above and below a healed transection showed a high degree of phase-locking. This strongly suggests that the behavioral recovery is mediated by regenerated functional synaptic connections subserving intersegmental coordination of the central pattern generator for locomotion.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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