ABSTRACT-Mice were used to record the spinal reflex potentials and to examine the effects of some drugs upon them. In anesthetized mice, laminectomy was performed in the lumbo-sacral region, and monosynaptic reflex potential (MSR) and polysynaptic reflex potential were recorded from the L5 ventral root after stimulation of the L5 dorsal root. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and 1-(4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-aminopropane hydrochloride (DOI) produced transient and long-lasting increases in the MSR amplitude, respectively. Tolperisone hydrochloride and baclofen produced transient and long-lasting MSR depressions, respectively. These results show that mice can be used to record spinal reflex potentials, and that it may be possible to study the spinal cord function of mutant and knockout mice using this method.
Keywords: Spinal reflex, Monosynaptic reflexSpinal motoneurons are the common final paths to skeletal muscle fibers, and measurement of spinal motor activity is very useful for studying spinal motor functions in the central nervous system. Spinal reflexes are relatively simple to measure, and mono-and polysynaptic reflex potentials have been recorded from the ventral root following stimulation of the dorsal root after laminectomy. In these experiments, relatively large animals such as cats and rats (1), have generally been used due to ease of operation. Recently, mutant and knockout animal models have made an important contribution to the study of various diseases, and these models have usually involved mice. However, there has been no report on mouse spinal reflex experiments due to the difficulty of manipulating such a small animal. In the present study, the conventional method of recording spinal reflex potentials was applied to mouse preparations, and the effects of some centrally acting drugs on the potentials were evaluated in comparison with those in rats.All experimental protocols were approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee of Science University of Tokyo and were in accordance with the guidelines of the National Institutes of Health and The Japanese Pharmacological Society. Forty male ddY mice (38 -42 g, 8-week-old) were anesthetized with urethane (1.6 g / kg, i.p.) and =-chloralose (15 mg/kg, i.p.), and cannulae were inserted into the trachea to maintain respiration and into the caudal vein for drug administration. Intact (non-spinalized) mice were used in this study. Mice were artificially ventilated (0.5 ml/ 100 g body wt, 130 strokes /min: model SN-480-7; Shinano, Tokyo). The dorsal skin was incised along the median line, and the bilateral muscle over the vertebrae was excised to provide a view of the vertebral column. Projections and muscle in the lumbo-sacral region were eliminated with bone forceps (No. 16000-14; FST, Heidelberg, Germany). Very careful laminectomy was performed from the sixth lumbar vertebrae (L6) to L2 with small bone forceps (No. 16015-17, FST). The thin and transparent dura mater of the spinal cord was incised, and both the dorsal and ventral roots below L4 were...