Neuron: the "motor engine" of spinal cord is revealed

January 22, 2020 / BIOON / -- recently, researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden revealed a new principle of organization that explains how vertebrates coordinate their movements The results were published in the journal Neuron The remarkable feature of motion is its ability to start and change speed quickly to suit our intention However, it is not clear how the rhythm generating circuit (motor engine) in the spinal cord can momentarily convert brain commands into rhythmic movements Using zebrafish as a model organism, researchers at the Karolinska Institute revealed in detail the complete reconstruction process of the rhythm generation engine that drives vertebrate movement (image source: www Pixabay Com) "we have found a new histological law, which is crucial for the start of exercise and the change of speed," said Abdel El manira, Professor of Neuroscience at Karolinska college Based on the analysis of zebrafish's behavior, the researchers conducted a comprehensive and quantitative study on the connections (synapses) between neurons The results show that the excitatory neurons in the spinal cord that drive the movement form three cycles, and the circuit module that generates the rhythm can be used as a gear to move at low, medium or fast speed These circuits convert signals from the brain into coordinated movements, keeping their speed consistent with the original intention "Since the principles of brain stem and spinal circuit are common in vertebrates, our research can be directly applied to other mammals, including humans," Abdel El manira said Understanding how brain stem and spinal cord circuits trigger movement and how to control speed will open up new avenues for the development of strategies for the treatment of human nervous system diseases, including traumatic spinal cord injury and motor neuron degenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis " Information source: locomotor engine in the internal core reviewed original source: "multiple rhythm generating circuits act in tandem with pacemaker properties to control the start and speed of location" Jianren song, Irene palucchi, Jessica ausborn, Konstantinos ampatzis, Maria bertuzzi, Pierre fontanel, Laurence D Picton and Abdeljabbar El Manira Neuron, online 22 January 2020, DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.12.030