Electrophysiological Activity of Multifunctional and Behaviorally Specialized Spinal Neurons Involved in Swimming, Scratching, and Flexion Reflex in Turtles.

The adult turtle spinal cord can generate multiple kinds of limb movements, including swimming, three forms of scratching, and limb withdrawal (flexion reflex), even without brain input and sensory feedback. There are many multifunctional spinal neurons, activated during multiple motor patterns, and some behaviorally specialized neurons, activated during only one. How do multifunctional and behaviorally specialized neurons each contribute to motor output? We analyzed in vivo intracellular recordings of multifunctional and specialized neurons.