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NMDA receptors and activity-dependent tuning of the receptive fields of spinal cord neurons

Nature volume 369, pages 482–485 (1994)Cite this article

Abstract

AFTER peripheral nerve section, sensory neurons regenerate but do not regain their original topographical position in the skin1. Here we report that in the early stages of sciatic nerve regeneration, the cutaneous receptive fields (RFs) of dorsal horn neurons are larger than normal, reflecting the disorganized topography of the regenerated afferents. When nerve regeneration is complete, small contiguous RFs emerge, indicating a central compensation for the disrupted peripheral somatotopy. If the NMDA receptor antagonist MK801 is given during regeneration, RFs do not show this reorganization, but remain large and diffuse. We suggest that the coincident activity of afferents, newly innervating adjacent or over-lapping cutaneous territory, acts through postsynaptic NMDA receptors2 to strengthen the central effectiveness of these inputs at the expense of other non-adjacent and non-coincidently activated inputs. In this way, dorsal horn neurons may attain and retain restricted RFs in the face of a spatially dispersed afferent input.

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Author notes

  1. Gary R. Lewin

    Present address: Department of Neurobiochemistry, Max-Planck Institute for Psychiatry, D-82152, Martinsried, Germany

  2. Gary R. Lewin: Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, State University of New York at Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA

  3. Stephen B. McMahon: To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, United Medical and Dental Schools (St Thomas's Campus), Lambeth Palace Rd, London, SE1 7EH, UK

    Gary R. Lewin, Edward Mckintosh & Stephen B. McMahon

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  1. Gary R. Lewin
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  2. Edward Mckintosh
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  3. Stephen B. McMahon
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Lewin, G., Mckintosh, E. & McMahon, S. NMDA receptors and activity-dependent tuning of the receptive fields of spinal cord neurons. Nature 369, 482–485 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/369482a0

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