title: Genetically identified spinal interneurons integrating tactile afferents for motor control.
abstract: Our movements are shaped by our perception of the world as communicated by our senses. Perception of sensory information has been largely attributed to cortical activity. However, a prior level of sensory processing occurs in the spinal cord. Indeed, sensory inputs directly project to many spinal circuits, some of which communicate with motor circuits within the spinal cord. Therefore, the processing of sensory information for the purpose of ensuring proper movements is distributed between spinal and supraspinal circuits. The mechanisms underlying the integration of sensory information for motor control at the level of the spinal cord have yet to be fully described. Recent research has led to the characterization of spinal neuron populations that share common molecular identities. Identification of molecular markers that define specific populations of spinal neurons is a prerequisite to the application of genetic techniques devised to both delineate the function of these spinal neurons and their connectivity. This strategy has been used in the study of spinal neurons that receive tactile inputs from sensory neurons innervating the skin. As a result, the circuits that include these spinal neurons have been revealed to play important roles in specific aspects of motor function. We describe these genetically identified spinal neurons that integrate tactile information and the contribution of these studies to our understanding of how tactile information shapes motor output. Furthermore, we describe future opportunities that these circuits present for shedding light on the neural mechanisms of tactile processing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Center for Neural Dynamics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; and tuan.bui@uottawa.ca.
authors.forename: Tuan V
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Bui
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8584-9561
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stifani
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Izabela
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Panek
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada;
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Farah
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007395:Interneurons / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D009068:Movement; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D014110:Touch; D019076:Transgenes
chemical_list: D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins
keywords: genetically identified spinal neurons; sensorimotor integration; spinal cord; tactile information