Abstract

The goal of this proposal is to determine the mechanisms that mediate the extensive reactivations of somatosensory cortex and the return of hand use after large lesions of cutaneous receptor afferents in the dorsal columns of the spinal cord. Our experiments will determine if new connections are formed in the post- lesion somatosensory system, if a promising treatment with an enzyme promotes useful new connections, and if reactivated neurons in somatosensory cortex have response properties to touch on the hand that would usefully guide tactile behavior.

Public Health Relevance

The goal of our project is to better understand how individuals recover after extensive brain damage to the nervous system, and if certain treatments promote useful recoveries. We expect that our results, based on spinal cord injury, will apply broadly in understanding how the human nervous system recovers from injuries, and suggest clinical applications that would improve recoveries.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01NS016446-37
Application #
9285831
Study Section
Somatosensory and Chemosensory Systems Study Section (SCS)
Program Officer
Gnadt, James W
Project Start
1980-07-01
Project End
2019-05-31
Budget Start
2017-06-01
Budget End
2018-05-31
Support Year
37
Fiscal Year
2017
Total Cost
$343,403
Indirect Cost
$124,653

  Institution

Name
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Department
Anatomy/Cell Biology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
965717143
City
Nashville
State
TN
Country
United States
Zip Code
37240

  Publications

Padberg, Jeffrey; Cooke, Dylan F; Cerkevich, Christina M et al. (2018) Cortical connections of area 2 and posterior parietal area 5 in macaque monkeys. J Comp Neurol :
Liao, Chia-Chi; Reed, Jamie L; Qi, Hui-Xin et al. (2018) Second-order spinal cord pathway contributes to cortical responses after long recoveries from dorsal column injury in squirrel monkeys. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 115:4258-4263
Cerkevich, Christina M; Kaas, Jon H (2018) Corticocortical projections to area 1 in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus). Eur J Neurosci :
Liao, Chia-Chi; Reed, Jamie L; Kaas, Jon H et al. (2016) Intracortical connections are altered after long-standing deprivation of dorsal column inputs in the hand region of area 3b in squirrel monkeys. J Comp Neurol 524:1494-526
Sawyer, Eva K; Turner, Emily C; Kaas, Jon H (2016) Somatosensory brainstem, thalamus, and cortex of the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus). J Comp Neurol 524:1957-75
Qi, Hui-Xin; Reed, Jamie L; Franca, Joao G et al. (2016) Chronic recordings reveal tactile stimuli can suppress spontaneous activity of neurons in somatosensory cortex of awake and anesthetized primates. J Neurophysiol 115:2105-23
Liao, Chia-Chi; Reed, Jamie L; Qi, Hui-Xin (2016) Anatomical changes in the somatosensory system after large sensory loss predict strategies to promote functional recovery after spinal cord injury. Neural Regen Res 11:575-7
Liao, Chia-Chi; Qi, Hui-Xin; Reed, Jamie L et al. (2016) Congenital foot deformation alters the topographic organization in the primate somatosensory system. Brain Struct Funct 221:383-406
Reed, Jamie L; Liao, Chia-Chi; Qi, Hui-Xin et al. (2016) Plasticity and Recovery After Dorsal Column Spinal Cord Injury in Nonhuman Primates. J Exp Neurosci 10:11-21
Kaas, Jon H; Stepniewska, Iwona (2016) Evolution of posterior parietal cortex and parietal-frontal networks for specific actions in primates. J Comp Neurol 524:595-608

Showing the most recent 10 out of 166 publications