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In a ground-breaking study, scientists at the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN) and University Hospital Magdeburg demonstrated that the spinal cord is far more than just a transmission pathway that transmits sensory stimuli from the body. Instead, sensory stimuli are processed in the spinal cord before reaching the brain. These findings have been published in the renowned journal Science Advances and may lead to new approaches to the long-term treatment of neurological diseases.
The spinal cord as a flexible processing module
“Our perception is always an interpretation based on our previous knowledge and experience. Accordingly, it has long been established that the processing of sensory stimuli in the brain changes depending on prior knowledge. We have shown for the first time that prior knowledge alters stimulus processing not only in the brain but also in the spinal cord”, explains neurologist Dr Max-Philipp Stenner, lead author of the study. The discovery by the research team therefore calls for a fundamental revision of previous theories, which suggest that the brain acts as a “prediction machine” that interprets sensory impressions based on expectations.
From medical practice to the lab
In order to measure information processing in the spinal cord, the researchers used a proven pain therapy method in which electrodes are implanted near the spinal cord in order to electrically stimulate it. During the study, this stimulation was temporarily switched off, and the scientists were able to record electrical signals produced by the spinal cord itself via the electrodes. “This allows us to observe the spinal cord performing its actual work”, says Stenner.
In the experiment, participants first heard a tone followed shortly by an electrical stimulus on the wrist. If the time between the tone and the stimulus remained the same, the participants were able to accurately predict the timing of the stimulus based on the sound. However, if the period fluctuated, it was not possible to make an accurate prediction. The result: spinal cord signals were weaker when the stimulus was predictable and stronger when it arrived unexpectedly. Remarkably, this effect occurred around 13 milliseconds after the stimulus – even before the brain began processing the stimulus.
The study focussed on high-frequency oscillations. “These nerve signals are a kind of language of the spinal cord that to date has hardly been researched. Our results show that these signals are crucial in context-dependent stimulus processing”, says Stenner.
To verify the results, the researchers carried out a similar experiment with healthy participants. Here, the signals were measured non-invasively via electrodes on the neck. It was also confirmed that prior knowledge influences the signal’s strength – even in the spinal cord.
Milestone for brain research – with far-reaching implications for medical practice
The spinal cord is the first point in the central nervous system where signals from the body enter below the neck. What happens here influences subsequent information processing in the brain. “If we want to understand how the nervous system processes stimuli, we must include the spinal cord as the first processing point”, says Stenner. The study also highlights that the spinal cord cannot be fully understood without considering cognition.
The method used for the study enables particularly precise examination of the processes in the spinal cord. Initial follow-up studies are focussing on how stimulus processing changes before movements. These findings could be crucial to understanding movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and may contribute to the development of novel therapies in the long term.
Max-Philipp.Stenner@lin-magdeburg.de
doi/10.1126/sciadv.adl5602
Dr Lars Büntjen (University Medicine Magdeburg, left) and Dr Max-Philipp Stenner (LIN, right) presen ...
Sarah Kossmann
Universitätsmedizin Magdeburg
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Biology, Medicine
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