Dopaminergic modulation of olfactory-evoked motor output in sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus L.).

Detection of chemical cues is important to guide locomotion in association with feeding and sexual behavior. Two neural pathways responsible for odor-evoked locomotion have been characterized in the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus L.), a basal vertebrate.

Initiation of locomotion in lampreys.

The spinal circuitry underlying the generation of basic locomotor synergies has been described in substantial detail in lampreys and the cellular mechanisms have been identified. The initiation of locomotion, on the other hand, relies on supraspinal networks and the cellular mechanisms involved are only beginning to be understood. This review examines some of the findings relative to the neural mechanisms involved in the initiation of locomotion of lampreys.