Medical Physiology Commons^™

Reduced Motor Neuron Excitability Is An Important Contributor To Weakness In A Rat Model Of Sepsis, Paul Nardelli, Jacob A. Vincent, Randall K. Powers, Timothy C. Cope, Mark M. Rich

Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Physiology Faculty Publications

The mechanisms by which sepsis triggers intensive care unit acquired weakness (ICUAW) remain unclear. We previously identified difficulty with motor unit recruitment in patients as a novel contributor to ICUAW. To study the mechanism underlying poor recruitment of motor units we used the rat cecal ligation and puncture model of sepsis. We identified striking dysfunction of alpha motor neurons during repetitive firing. Firing was more erratic, and often intermittent. Our data raised the possibility that reduced excitability of motor neurons was a significant contributor to weakness induced by sepsis. In this study we quantified the contribution of reduced motor neuron …