Key result
Spontaneous neural synchrony links intrinsic spinal sensory and motor networks during unconsciousness in rats, with 4.2% of unit pairs exhibiting significantly correlated temporal discharge.
Why the study?
Whether non-random functional connectivity during unconsciousness generalizes to intrinsic spinal networks remains incompletely understood.
Demonstrates that spontaneous functional connectivity links sensory- and motor-dominant regions in the spinal cord during unconsciousness, suggesting a potential spinal replay mechanism.
No immediate clinical implications; hypothesis-generating for spinal replay mechanisms, requiring validation in humans and injury models.
Non-random functional connectivity during unconsciousness is a defining feature of supraspinal networks. However, its generalizability to intrinsic spinal networks remains incompletely understood. Previously, Barry et al., 2014 used fMRI to reveal bilateral resting state functional connectivity within sensory-dominant and, separately, motor-dominant regions of the spinal cord. Here, we record spike trains from large populations of spinal interneurons in vivo in rats and demonstrate that spontaneous functional connectivity also links sensory- and motor-dominant regions during unconsciousness. The spatiotemporal patterns of connectivity could not be explained by latent afferent activity or by populations of interconnected neurons spiking randomly. We also document connection latencies compatible with mono- and disynaptic interactions and putative excitatory and inhibitory connections. The observed activity is consistent with the hypothesis that salient, experience-dependent patterns of neural transmission introduced during behavior or by injury/disease are reactivated during unconsciousness. Such a spinal replay mechanism could shape circuit-level connectivity and ultimately behavior.
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McPherson et al. (2021) studied Unconsciousness (n=24). Urethane or isoflurane anesthesia was evaluated on Spontaneous functional connectivity (temporally correlated discharge) between unit pairs in spinal gray matter. Spontaneous neural synchrony links intrinsic spinal sensory and motor networks during unconsciousness in rats, with 4.2% of unit pairs exhibiting significantly correlated temporal discharge.
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