Forebrain control of locomotion

当在自然栖息地行走时，动物和人类必须控制转移 和他们的脚准确地放置，以避免无数的障碍和 不规范的行为。而运动中肌肉收缩的基本顺序是 由脊髓决定的，正是脊髓上中枢的活动改变了 通过考虑视觉信息来移动。这个项目的总体目标是 了解参与适应的前脑神经机制。 对环境的视觉感知特征的运动。 所有数据将从猫在实验室内行走获得。 (1)在不需要视觉-运动协调的平面上(简单 运动)和(2)沿水平梯子，其中视觉-运动协调用于 脚在横杆上的准确放置将是必需的(复杂的运动)。我们 将记录运动和顶叶皮质以及运动中已识别的神经元的活动 丘脑。然后，我们将可逆地阻止这些神经元的各种输入，以了解 这些输入对形成用于视觉控制的信号的贡献 引导步进。在目标1中，我们将研究丘脑腹外侧区、顶区的作用。 5、和GABAA皮质内机制形成的简单和复杂 大鼠锥体束和丘脑投射神经元的运动相关活动 运动皮质。在目标2中，我们将检测丘脑网状核的活动。 小脑外侧核和间隔核的传入在脑电活动形成中的作用 丘脑腹外侧区简单和复杂的运动相关活动。 这项拟议的研究将揭示前脑的重要神经机制。 用于控制视觉引导的运动。这项研究可能具有重要的临床意义 申请。在前脑中风患者中，康复策略的选择 运动障碍在很大程度上取决于对直接前脑作用的阐明。 与脊椎机制有关的运动控制。

When walking in natural habitats, animals and humans must control the transfer and placement of their feet precisely in order to avoid numerous obstacles and irregularities. While the basic order of muscular contractions during locomotion is determined by the spinal cord, it is the activity of supraspinal centers that modifies locomotion by taking into account visual information. The overall aim of this project is to understand the neuronal mechanisms of the forebrain that are involved in adaptation of locomotion to the visually perceived features of the environment. All data will be obtained from cats walking inside an experimental chamber (1) on a flat surface where no visuo-motor coordination will be required (simple locomotion) and (2) along a horizontal ladder where visuo-motor coordination for an accurate foot placement on the cross-pieces will be required (complex locomotion). We will record the activity of identified neurons in motor and parietal cortex, and in motor thalamus. We will then reversibly block various inputs to these neurons to understand the contribution that these inputs make to the formation of signals for control of visually guided stepping. In Aim 1, we will study the roles of ventrolateral thalamus, parietal area 5, and GABAA intra-cortical mechanisms in the formation of simple and complex locomotion-related activity of pyramidal tract and thalamus projecting neurons of the motor cortex. In Aim 2, we will examine the activity of the reticular nucleus of thalamus and the role of inputs from lateral and interposed nuclei of cerebellum in the formation of simple and complex locomotion-related activity in ventrolateral thalamus. The proposed study will reveal important neuronal mechanisms of the forebrain for control of visually guided locomotion. The study may have significant clinical applications. In forebrain stroke patients, selection of rehabilitation strategies for locomotion deficits depends largely on an elucidation of the role of direct forebrain control of locomotion in relation to spinal mechanisms.