Buspirone treatment promotes forelimb functional recovery in cervical spinal cord injured rats

Society for Neuroscience Chicago Nanosymposium Advances in SCI Research and Plasticity Presentation Number: 197.08 Support: NIH Grant U01EB015521

Authors: B. JIN1, M. ALAM2, G. GARCIA-ALIAS1, Y. GERASIMENKO1, H. ZHONG1, R. ROY1, D. LU2, *V. EDGERTON1;
Serotoninergic agonists have been shown to improve the recovery of stepping ability in spinal animals by modulating the excitability of the locomotor circuits in the lumbosacral spinal cord. In the present study we tested whether or not buspirone, a partial serotonin 5-HT1A receptor partial agonist, would facilitate fine forelimb motor recovery, such as reaching and grasping, after a cervical spinal cord injury in rats. Adult Long-Evans rats were trained and then tested to reach and grasp sugar pellets. Intramuscular EMG electrodes were implanted in forelimb muscles and epidural stimulation electrodes were implanted at cervical spinal cord segments C6 and C8. Spinal motor evoked potentials (sMEPs) were elicited by stimulating the C6-C8 spinal segments. sMEP latencies and amplitudes were determined in each muscle implanted with EMG electrodes. After baseline testing the rats received a bilateral dorsal funiculi crush injury at spinal cord level C4. At 4 weeks post-injury, five rats were tested electrophysiologically and behaviorally with and without the administration of buspirone (5 gm/kg, ip.). The success rate for reaching and grasping 4 weeks post injury was greater with than without buspirone administration for all rats except one (p = 0.0339; paired t-test).

1Dept Integrative Biol. & Physiol., 2Dept Neurosurg., UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Disclosures: B. Jin: None. M. Alam: None. G. Garcia-Alias: None. Y. Gerasimenko: E. Ownership Interest (stock, stock options, royalty, receipt of intellectual property rights/patent holder, excluding diversified mutual funds); NeuroRecovery Technologies. H. Zhong: None. R. Roy: E. Ownership Interest (stock, stock options, royalty, receipt of intellectual property rights/patent holder, excluding diversified mutual funds); NeuroRecovery Technologies. D. Lu: E. Ownership Interest (stock, stock options, royalty, receipt of intellectual property rights/patent holder, excluding diversified mutual funds); NeuroRecovery Technologies. V. Edgerton: E. Ownership Interest (stock, stock options, royalty, receipt of intellectual property rights/patent holder, excluding diversified mutual funds); NeuroRecovery Technologies

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