Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41353490›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Activation of hypothalamic-pontine-spinal pathway promotes locomotor initiation and functional recovery after spinal cord injury in mice.

Chengyue Ji, Yunfan Zhang, Zeyu Lin, Ziqi Zhao, Zhuolei Jiao, Zhiyuan Zheng, Xiaoxue Shi, Xiaofei Wang, Ziyu Li, Shuisheng Yu and 13 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

23 authors.

Chengyue Ji *Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Yunfan Zhang *Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Zeyu Lin *Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Ziqi ZhaoInstitute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Zhuolei JiaoInstitute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0002-3506-3493
Zhiyuan ZhengDepartment of Neurosurgery, Shanghai Changhai Hospital Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.
Xiaoxue ShiInstitute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Xiaofei WangInstitute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Ziyu LiInstitute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Shuisheng YuInstitute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Yun QuInstitute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Yaxuan WeiInstitute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Tan RuiInstitute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Bowen ZhengInstitute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-7832-3147
Taorong XieInstitute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Hanyu ShiInstitute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Qifang WangInstitute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Xiao YuInstitute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9441-1705
Xiaohong XuInstitute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2447-3529
Juxiang ChenDepartment of Neurosurgery, Shanghai Changhai Hospital Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.
Jin FanDepartment of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8293-2028
Weihua CaiDepartment of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. caiwhspine@sina.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-5180-1559
Yi LiInstitute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. liyi@ion.ac.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4206-8789

Funding

Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China (Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology) 2025ZD0215101National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 82272499National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 82272715National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 82301488National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 82372394National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 82401616National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 82461160319National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 92168105Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission) 2018SHZDZX05
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The hypothalamus is critical for regulating behaviors essential for survival and locomotion, but how it integrates internal needs and transmits locomotion commands to the spinal cord (SC) remains unclear. We found that glutamatergic neurons in lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) are essential for regulating motivated locomotor activity. Using single-neuron projectome analysis, trans-synaptic tracing, and optogenetic manipulation, we showed that LHA facilitates motivated locomotion during food seeking via pontine reticular nucleus, oral part (PnO) projection neurons, rather than direct SC projections or indirect stress signaling via medial septum and diagonal band. Activating PnO-SC projection neurons also initiated locomotion. Importantly, LHA-PnO projection neurons were crucial for regulating locomotor recovery following mouse spinal cord injury (SCI). Motor cortex signals gated LHA deep brain stimulation treatment markedly promoted long-term restoration of hindlimb motor functions after severe SCI. Thus, we have identified a hypothalamic-pontine-spinal pathway and the stimulation paradigm for potential therapeutic intervention after SCI.

Indexed as

Hypothalamic Area, LateralHypothalamusLocomotionRecovery of FunctionSpinal CordSpinal Cord InjuriesAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalFemaleMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMotor CortexNeural PathwaysNeuronsOptogenetics

Identifiers

PMID41353490
PMCPMC12800304

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.