| Abstract: | Acute mid-thoracic spinal cord transection eliminates hindlimb air-stepping in neonatal rats suspended in harnesses and administered {l}-DOPA. Because spinal cord transection eliminates all descending inputs to the hindlimb locomotor circuits, this experiment determined if coadministration of {l}-DOPA and quipazine (serotonin receptor agonist) would induce hindlimb air-stepping in rat pups 24 hrs after transection. Hindlimb steps of spinally transected pups that received {l}-DOPA or quipazine alone were infrequent and slow; hindlimb steps induced by {l}-DOPA?+?quipazine occurred more frequently and were faster than those elicited by either drug alone. These findings suggest that catecholaminergic and serotonergic systems both contribute to hindlimb stepping. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
