Coordination and Modulation of a Reflex Motor Pattern

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Lay Abstract PI: Trimmer, Barry A. Proposal Number: IBN-9723507 The objective of this research is to understand how reflex movements are modified and adapted for different tasks so that they are appropriate for different behaviors. Detailed analysis of movement is combined with electrical recordings from muscles both before and after different training regimes. Once the changes are described, the central nervous system mechanisms that mediate these changes are investigated by recording the electrical activity of individual nerve cells and by manipulating the chemical receptors on those nerve cells during behavioral training and during sensory stimulation. This research links adaptive changes in behavior with the cellular mechanisms underlying learning and plasticity. Its results contribute to understanding how basic rhythmic movements, such as those involved in walking, are modified as a result of experience so that the behavior can be appropriately expressed in a variety of situations and challenges.