Brainstem circuits for the control of locomotion

MARIA SOLEDAD ESPOSITO

Cordoba

Congreso; Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Neurociencias; 2018

The ability to move between places is an essential animal behavior that fascinated researchers since the beginning of neuroscience. Today we know that spinal cord circuits control the basic locomotor pattern determined by intra and inter-limb coordination, however, supraspinal commands are indispensable in order to initiate locomotion. Classical experiments based on electrical microstimulation identified brain regions with the ability to elicit locomotion but in most cases, the coexistence of functionally different neuronal subpopulations may have led to controversial results. In my talk, I will describe recent findings on the cellular and functional organization of brainstem motor centers in which specific neuronal subpopulations control opposing aspects of motor behavior such as locomotion or immobility.