Meeting Abstract
Following a complete spinal cord transection, larval sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) are able to regenerate their spinal cords in 10-12 weeks post-injury (WPI), and consequently undergo functional recovery of swimming. However, larval lampreys are generally found burrowed in the substrate of their home environment (e.g. sand). While recovery of swimming is robust and well-established, the lampreys’ ability to recover burrowing following spinal cord injury is largely unknown. Burrowing behavior has two components. The initial component resembles swimming with propagated undulations, while the final component involves large body flexions that pull the tail under the sand. Here, we evaluated the lampreys’ ability to burrow by examining these two components from video recordings at multiple post-injury time points during recovery from spinal cord injury, spanning from 1 to 11 WPI. Control (uninjured) animals completed the initial component in 1.82 ±1.24 seconds (N=16) and the final component in 21.13 ±15.95 seconds (N=15). Transected animals did not attempt to burrow until 2 WPI and most animals from 2 to 8 WPI were unable to burrow completely, leaving a portion of the tail exposed. Burrowing coverage improved over time with most animals burrowing completely by 9-11 WPI. The duration of the initial component did not differ between control and spinal-transected animals across the entire recovery period, but the duration of the final component in 9-11 WPI transected animals (94.93 ±81.76 seconds, N=15) was significantly longer than in controls. These data indicate that, similar to swimming behavior, lampreys are able to recover burrowing behavior after spinal cord injury, though moderate deficits may persist.
