<p>The hypothalamus is critical for regulating behaviors essential for survival and locomotion, but how it integrates internal needs and transmits locomotion commands to the spinal cord (SC) remains unclear. We found that glutamatergic neurons in lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) are essential for regulating motivated locomotor activity. Using single-neuron projectome analysis, trans-synaptic tracing, and optogenetic manipulation, we showed that LHA facilitates motivated locomotion during food seeking via pontine reticular nucleus, oral part (PnO) projection neurons, rather than direct SC projections or indirect stress signaling via medial septum and diagonal band. Activating PnO-SC projection neurons also initiated locomotion. Importantly, LHA-PnO projection neurons were crucial for regulating locomotor recovery following mouse spinal cord injury (SCI). Motor cortex signals gated LHA deep brain stimulation treatment markedly promoted long-term restoration of hindlimb motor functions after severe SCI. Thus, we have identified a hypothalamic-pontine-spinal pathway and the stimulation paradigm for potential therapeutic intervention after SCI.</p>

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Activation of hypothalamic-pontine-spinal pathway promotes locomotor initiation and functional recovery after spinal cord injury in mice

  • Chengyue Ji,
  • Yunfan Zhang,
  • Zeyu Lin,
  • Ziqi Zhao,
  • Zhuolei Jiao,
  • Zhiyuan Zheng,
  • Xiaoxue Shi,
  • Xiaofei Wang,
  • Ziyu Li,
  • Shuisheng Yu,
  • Yun Qu,
  • Yaxuan Wei,
  • Tan Rui,
  • Bowen Zheng,
  • Taorong Xie,
  • Hanyu Shi,
  • Qifang Wang,
  • Xiao Yu,
  • Xiaohong Xu,
  • Juxiang Chen,
  • Jin Fan,
  • Weihua Cai,
  • Yi Li

摘要

The hypothalamus is critical for regulating behaviors essential for survival and locomotion, but how it integrates internal needs and transmits locomotion commands to the spinal cord (SC) remains unclear. We found that glutamatergic neurons in lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) are essential for regulating motivated locomotor activity. Using single-neuron projectome analysis, trans-synaptic tracing, and optogenetic manipulation, we showed that LHA facilitates motivated locomotion during food seeking via pontine reticular nucleus, oral part (PnO) projection neurons, rather than direct SC projections or indirect stress signaling via medial septum and diagonal band. Activating PnO-SC projection neurons also initiated locomotion. Importantly, LHA-PnO projection neurons were crucial for regulating locomotor recovery following mouse spinal cord injury (SCI). Motor cortex signals gated LHA deep brain stimulation treatment markedly promoted long-term restoration of hindlimb motor functions after severe SCI. Thus, we have identified a hypothalamic-pontine-spinal pathway and the stimulation paradigm for potential therapeutic intervention after SCI.