Motor circuits represent the main output of the central nervous system and produce dynamic behaviors ranging from relatively simple rhythmic activities like swimming in fish and breathing in mammals to highly sophisticated dexterous movements in humans. Despite decades of research, the development and function of motor circuits remain poorly understood. Breakthroughs in the field recently provided new tools and tractable model systems that set the stage to discover the molecular mechanisms and circuit logic underlying motor control. Here, we describe recent advances from both vertebrate (mouse, frog) and invertebrate (nematode, fruit fly) systems on cellular and molecular mechanisms that enable motor circuits to develop and function and highlight conserved and divergent mechanisms necessary for motor circuit development.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1238-24.2024 | DOI Listing |
Curr Biol
January 2025
Department of Neuroscience, Physiology & Pharmacology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK. Electronic address:
Animals construct diverse behavioral repertoires by moving a limited number of body parts with varied kinematics and patterns of coordination. There is evidence that distinct movements can be generated by changes in activity dynamics within a common pool of motoneurons or by selectively engaging specific subsets of motoneurons in a task-dependent manner. However, in most cases, we have an incomplete understanding of the patterns of motoneuron activity that generate distinct actions and of how upstream premotor circuits select and assemble such motor programs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Rep
January 2025
Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada. Electronic address:
While considerable progress has been made in understanding the neuronal circuits that underlie the patterning of locomotor behaviors, less is known about the circuits that amplify motoneuron output to adjust muscle force. Here, we demonstrate that propriospinal V3 neurons (Sim1) account for ∼20% of excitatory input to motoneurons across hindlimb muscles. V3 neurons also form extensive connections among themselves and with other excitatory premotor neurons, such as V2a neurons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTheranostics
January 2025
Department of biochemistry and molecular biology, College of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.
Stem cell transplantation is a promising strategy to establish neural relays in situ for spinal cord injury (SCI) repair. Recent research has reported short-term survival of exogenous cells, irrespective of immunosuppressive drugs (ISD), results in similar function recovery, though the mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to validate this short-term repair effect and the potential mechanisms in large animals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Rehabil
January 2025
School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Objective: To map evidence on the characteristics, effectiveness, and potential mechanisms of motor imagery interventions targeting cognitive function and depression in adults with neurological disorders and/or mobility impairments.
Data Sources: Six English databases (The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Sciences, and PsycINFO), two Chinese databases (CNKI and WanFang), and a gray literature database were searched from inception to December 2024.
Review Methods: This scoping review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute Scoping Review methodology.
Annu Rev Neurosci
January 2025
Department of Cognitive and Psychological Sciences and Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA; email:
The twenty-first century has brought forth a deluge of theories and data shedding light on the neural mechanisms of motivated behavior. Much of this progress has focused on dopaminergic dynamics, including their signaling properties (how do they vary with expectations and outcomes?) and their downstream impacts in target regions (how do they affect learning and behavior?). In parallel, the basal ganglia have been elevated from their original implication in motoric function to a canonical circuit facilitating the initiation, invigoration, and selection of actions across levels of abstraction, from motor to cognitive operations.
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