Enhanced Behavioral Recovery from Sensorimotor Cortex Lesions After Pyramidotomy in Adult Rats

[摘要] Unilateral transection of the bulbarpyramid, performed before the ablation of theipsilateral sensorimotor cortex, has been shownto facilitate the recovery of operantly conditionedreflexes and compensatory processes in rats.Such enhanced behaviorai recovery was absentwhen only the sensorimotor cortex was ablated.This phenomenon is explained by the switchingof motor activity under the control of thecortico-rubrospinal system. Switching of thedescending influences is accomplished throughthe following loop: cortico-rubrai projectionrednucleus-inferior olive-cerebellum-thalamuscerebralcortex. This suggests that a preliminarylesion of the peripheral part of thesystem, represented by a descending spinalprojection, facilitates the recovery processes todevelop during the subsequent destruction of itscentral part.

[学科分类] 精神健康和精神病学