A modeling study of spinal motoneuron recruitment regulated by ionic channels during fictive locomotion

During fictive locomotion cat lumbar motoneurons exhibit changes in membrane proprieties including a decrease in voltage threshold (V_th), afterhyperpolarization (AHP) and input resistance (R_in) and an increase in non-linear membrane property. The impact of these changes on the motoneuron recruitment remains unknown. Using modeling approach we investigated the channel mechanism regulating the motoneuron recruitment. Three types of motoneuron pools including slow (S), fatigue-resistant (FR) and fast-fatigable (FF) motoneurons were constructed based on the membrane proprieties of cat lumbar motoneurons. The transient sodium (NaT), persistent sodium (NaP), delayed-rectifier potassium [K(DR)], Ca²⁺-dependent K⁺ [K(AHP)] and L-type calcium (Ca_L) channels were included in the models. Simulation results showed that (1) Strengthening synaptic inputs increased the number of recruitments in all three types of motoneurons following the size principle. (2) Increasing NaT or NaP or decreasing K(DR) or K(AHP) lowered rheobase of spike generation thus increased recruitment of motoneuron pools. (3) Decreasing R_in reduced recruitment in all three types of motoneurons. (4) The FF-type motoneuron pool, followed by FR- and S-type, were the most sensitive to increase of synaptic inputs, reduction of R_in, upregulation of NaT and NaP, and downregulation of K(DR) and K(AHP). (5) Increasing Ca_L enhanced overall discharge rate of motoneuron pools with little effect on the recruitment. Simulation results suggested that modulation of ionic channels altered the output of motoneuron pools with either modulating the number of recruited motoneurons or regulating the overall discharge rate of motoneuron pools. Multiple channels contributed to the recruitment of motoneurons with interaction of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs during walking.