title: Transition of pattern generation: the phenomenon of post-scratching locomotion.
abstract: A fundamental problem in neurophysiology is the understanding of neuronal mechanisms by which the central nervous system produces a sequence of voluntary or involuntary motor acts from a diverse repertory of movements. These kinds of transitions between motor acts are extremely complex; however, they could be analyzed in a more simple form in decerebrate animals in the context of spinal central pattern generation. Here, we present for the first time a physiological phenomenon of post-scratching locomotion in which decerebrate cats exhibit a compulsory locomotor activity after an episode of scratching. We found flexor, extensor and intermediate single interneurons rhythmically firing in the same phase during both scratching and the subsequent post-scratching locomotion. Because no changes in phase of these neurons from scratching to post-scratching locomotion were found, we suggest that in the lumbar spinal cord there are neurons associated with both motor tasks. Moreover, because of its high reproducibility we suggest that the study of post-scratching fictive locomotion, together with the unitary recording of neurons, could become a useful tool to study neuronal mechanisms underlying transitions from one rhythmic motor task to another, and to study in more detail the central pattern generator circuitry in the spinal cord.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 14 Sur 6301, Col. San Manuel, Puebla, Puebla CP 72570, Mexico.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trejo
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 14 Sur 6301, Col. San Manuel, Puebla, Puebla CP 72570, Mexico.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Tapia
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 14 Sur 6301, Col. San Manuel, Puebla, Puebla CP 72570, Mexico.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: De la Torre Valdovinos
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 14 Sur 6301, Col. San Manuel, Puebla, Puebla CP 72570, Mexico.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Huidobro
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 14 Sur 6301, Col. San Manuel, Puebla, Puebla CP 72570, Mexico.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Flores
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 14 Sur 6301, Col. San Manuel, Puebla, Puebla CP 72570, Mexico.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Flores-Hernandez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 14 Sur 6301, Col. San Manuel, Puebla, Puebla CP 72570, Mexico.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Flores
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 14 Sur 6301, Col. San Manuel, Puebla, Puebla CP 72570, Mexico. Electronic address: eliasmanjarrez@gmail.com.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Manjarrez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D002415:Cats; D063226:Central Pattern Generators / Q000502:physiology*; D003655:Decerebrate State; D004423:Ear; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008780:Methyltransferases / Q000502:physiology*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000502:physiology*; D013979:Tibial Nerve / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D008780:Methyltransferases; C021439:indoleethylamine N-methyltransferase
keywords: cat; central pattern generator; interneurons; involuntary movement; transition