Morphological and Physiological Analysis of the Motor Units of the Major Flight Muscles in the Pigeon (Columba livia) and the Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

我和我的学生从事脊椎动物的研究 神经肌肉和肌肉骨骼系统， 功能与进化我们研究肢体运动学，肌肉设计 和脊髓组织的研究 包括高速摄影和肌电图。 本研究的重点是功能分析， 鸟的肩膀该项目旨在产生基本的 形态学和生理学的数据， 模拟和测试的神经控制的机翼运动， 鸟证据存在的研究肌肉是根据 运动神经元的特定突触特性， 尺寸然而，理论上的考虑导致了 鸟类运动单位排序的替代假设。 为了帮助澄清这一重要问题，我们正在研究 分离的飞行肌运动单位的生理概况， 以及它们的外周和中央解剖组织， 两个飞行风格截然不同的物种 这项研究旨在解决基本问题 关于神经肌肉组织的进化， 主要的脊椎动物群。对鸟类的研究也将提供数据 有助于评估当前的解释（主要基于 始祖鸟化石的研究）的进化 早中生代陆栖动物肩部翅膀的起源 主龙直到我们完全了解肌肉骨骼和 神经肌肉的飞行基础在现存的物种，我们的 理解飞行进化的基本问题 四足动物之间的交流会受到阻碍。

My students and I are engaged in studies of the vertebrate neuromuscular and musculoskeletal systems with an emphasis on function and evolution. We examine limb kinematics, muscle design and spinal cord organization using a variety of techniques including high-speed photography and electromyography. The particular focus of this study is functional analysis of the Avian shoulder. The project is designed to yield basic morphological and physiological data requisite for the eventual modeling and testing of the neural control of wing movements in birds. Evidence exists from studies of muscle is ordered according to specific synaptic properties of the motoneuron which relate to size. Theoretical considerations, however, have resulted in alternative hypotheses for the ordering of motor unit within birds. To help clarify this important issue, we are studying the physiological profiles of isolated flight muscle motor units as well as their peripheral and central anatomical organization in two species with contrasting flight styles. This study is designed to address fundamental questions concerning the evolution of neuromuscular organization across the major vertebrate groups. Studies of birds will also provide data useful for evaluating current interpretations (based primarily on studies of the fossil bird Archaeopteryx) of the evolutionary origin of wings from the shoulder of early Mesozoic terrestrial archosaurs. Until we fully understand the musculoskeletal and neuromuscular basis of flight in a extant species, our understanding of the fundamental issue of the evolution of flight among tetrapods will be hampered.