title: Assembly and function of spinal circuits for motor control.
abstract: Control of movement is a fundamental and complex task of the vertebrate nervous system, which relies on communication between circuits distributed throughout the brain and spinal cord. Many of the networks essential for the execution of basic locomotor behaviors are composed of discrete neuronal populations residing within the spinal cord. The organization and connectivity of these circuits is established through programs that generate functionally diverse neuronal subtypes, each contributing to a specific facet of motor output. Significant progress has been made in deciphering how neuronal subtypes are specified and in delineating the guidance and synaptic specificity determinants at the core of motor circuit assembly. Recent studies have shed light on the basic principles linking locomotor circuit connectivity with function, and they are beginning to reveal how more sophisticated motor behaviors are encoded. In this review, we discuss the impact of developmental programs in specifying motor behaviors governed by spinal circuits.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Institute and Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016; email: jeremy.dasen@nyumc.org.
authors.forename: Catarina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Catela
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Institute and Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016; email: jeremy.dasen@nyumc.org.
authors.forename: Maggie M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Institute and Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016; email: jeremy.dasen@nyumc.org.
authors.forename: Jeremy S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Dasen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: central pattern generator; interneuron; locomotion; motor neuron; sensory neuron; transcription factor