Motor systems: reaching out and grasping the molecular tools.
Two recent studies provide important insights into the organization of premotor circuitries, showing that control of highly-specific skilled forelimb movements, such as reaching and grasping, requires activation of specific subpopulations of neurons in the brainstem and spinal cord.
Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Kuikui
K
Zhou
Computational and Biological Learning Lab, Cambridge University, UK.
Daniel M
DM
Wolpert
Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: c.dezeeuw@erasmusmc.nl.
Chris I
CI
De Zeeuw
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005552:Forelimb / Q000294:innervation* / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D009434:Neural Pathways; D012154:Reticular Formation / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000166:cytology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology*