Zicong Zhang, Junfeng Su, Jing Tang, Leeyup Chung, Jessica C Page, Carla C Winter, Yuchu Liu, Evgenii Kegeles, Sara Conti, Yu Zhang, Jason Biundo, Joshua I Chalif, Charles Y Hua, Zhiyun Yang, Xue Yao, Yang Yang, Shuqiang Chen, Jan M Schwab, Kuan Hong Wang, Chinfei Chen, Michael J Prerau, Zhigang He
Many behaviors require the coordinated actions of somatic and autonomic functions. However, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. By opto-stimulating different populations of descending spinal projecting neurons (SPNs) in anesthetized mice, we show that stimulation of excitatory SPNs in the rostral ventromedial medulla (rVMM) resulted in a simultaneous increase in somatomotor and sympathetic activities. Conversely, opto-stimulation of rVMM inhibitory SPNs decreased both activities. Anatomically, these SPNs innervate both sympathetic preganglionic neurons and motor-related regions in the spinal cord...
May 3, 2024: Cell