02272nas a2200241   4500008004100000022001400041245007000055210006800125260001200193300001400205490000800219520158400227653001301811653002001824653002501844653001501869653001801884100002301902700002101925700001501946700002101961856004801982       2001                        eng d  a0014-481900aMotor unit properties after operant conditioning of rat H-reflex.0 aMotor unit properties after operant conditioning of rat Hreflex  c10/2001  a382–3860 v1403 aOperant conditioning of the H-reflex produces plasticity at several sites in the spinal cord, including the motoneuron. This study assessed whether this spinal cord plasticity is accompanied by changes in motor unit contractile properties. Thirty-one adult male Sprague-Dawley rats implanted for chronic recording of triceps surae electromyographic activity and H-reflex elicitation were exposed for at least 40 days to HRup or HRdown training, in which reward occurred when the H-reflex was greater than (12 HRup rats) or less than (12 HRdown rats) a criterion value, or continued under the control mode in which the H-reflex was simply measured (7 HRcon rats). At the end of H-reflex data collection, rats were anesthetized and the contractile properties of 797 single triceps surae motor units activated by intraaxonal (or intramyelin) current injection were determined. Motor units were classified as S, FR, Fint, or FF on the basis of sag and fatigue properties. Maximum tetanic force and twitch contraction time were also measured. HRdown rats exhibited a significant increase in the fatigue index of fast-twitch motor units. This resulted in a significant decrease in the percentage of Fint motor units and a significant increase in that of FR motor units. HRup conditioning had no effect on fatigue index. Neither HRup nor HRdown conditioning affected maximum tetanic force or twitch contraction time. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that conditioning mode-specific change in motoneuron firing patterns causes activity-dependent change in muscle properties.10aH-Reflex10amotor unit type10aoperant conditioning10aplasticity10atriceps surae1 aCarp, Jonathan, S.1 aChen, Xiang Yang1 aSheikh, H.1 aWolpaw, Jonathan  uhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1168131402242nas a2200241   4500008004100000022001400041245008800055210006900143260001200212300001400224490000800238520154300246653002401789653001301813653001501826653001501841653001601856100002301872700002101895700001501916700002101931856004801952       2001                        eng d  a0014-481900aOperant conditioning of rat H-reflex affects motoneuron axonal conduction velocity.0 aOperant conditioning of rat Hreflex affects motoneuron axonal co  c01/2001  a269–2730 v1363 aThis study assessed the effects of operant conditioning of the H-reflex on motoneuron axonal conduction velocity in the rat. After measurement of the control H-reflex size, rats were either exposed for at least 40 days to the HRup or HRdown conditioning mode, in which reward occurred only if the soleus H-reflex was greater than (HRup mode) or less than (HRdown mode) a criterion or continued under the control condition (HRcon mode) in which the H-reflex was simply measured. We then measured axonal conduction velocity of triceps surae motor units of HRup, HRdown, and HRcon rats by stimulating the axon in the ventral root and recording from the tibial nerve. Conduction velocity was 8% less in successful HRdown rats than in HRcon rats (P=0.02). Conduction velocity in HRup rats and unsuccessful HRdown rats was not significantly different from that in HRcon rats. Since recording bypassed the intra-spinal portion of the motoneuron, the change was clearly in the axon. This decrease was similar to the 6% decrease previously found in successful HRdown monkeys. Unsuccessful HRdown rats and monkeys did not show this decrease. This result suggests that the mechanism of HRdown conditioning is similar in rats and monkeys and provides further support for the hypothesis that HRdown conditioning decreases motoneuron excitability by producing a positive shift in firing threshold. While traditional theories of learning emphasize synaptic plasticity, neuronal plasticity may also contribute to operantly conditioned behavioral changes.10aconduction velocity10aH-Reflex10amotoneuron10aplasticity10aSpinal Cord1 aCarp, Jonathan, S.1 aChen, Xiang Yang1 aSheikh, H.1 aWolpaw, Jonathan  uhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11206290