Journal
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
Volume 11, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
NATURE PORTFOLIO
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00976-2
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Funding
- University of Texas at Dallas
- University of Texas Board of Regents
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Vagus nerve stimulation paired with motor training enhances the map representation of task-relevant musculature in the motor cortex, with activation of cortical alpha 2 receptors being necessary for this motor cortical reorganization to occur.
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) paired with rehabilitation training is emerging as a potential treatment for improving recovery of motor function following stroke. In rats, VNS paired with skilled forelimb training results in significant reorganization of the somatotopic cortical motor map; however, the mechanisms underlying this form of VNS-dependent plasticity remain unclear. Recent studies have shown that VNS-driven cortical plasticity is dependent on noradrenergic innervation of the neocortex. In the central nervous system, noradrenergic alpha 2 receptors (alpha 2-ARs) are widely expressed in the motor cortex and have been critically implicated in synaptic communication and plasticity. In current study, we examined whether activation of cortical alpha 2-ARs is necessary for VNS-driven motor cortical reorganization to occur. Consistent with previous studies, we found that VNS paired with motor training enlarges the map representation of task-relevant musculature in the motor cortex. Infusion of alpha 2-AR antagonists into M1 blocked VNS-driven motor map reorganization from occurring. Our results suggest that local alpha 2-AR activation is required for VNS-induced cortical reorganization to occur, providing insight into the mechanisms that may underlie the neuroplastic effects of VNS therapy.
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