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Embryonic And Postnatal Development Of The Neural Circuitry Involved In Motor Control, Valerie Cari Ann Siembab

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The development of locomotion is believed to result from the maturation of the spinal circuits controlling motor output, however little is known about its mechanisms. To shed some light into this process we studied the development of the synaptic connectivity of two spinal inhibitory interneurons. Adult motoneurons are controlled by inhibitory networks that include recurrent and reciprocal inhibition (Pierrot-Deseilligny & Burke, 2005). Each is modulated by different ventral horn spinal interneurons that display synaptic connectivity adapted to their function: Renshaw cells (RCs) mediate recurrent inhibition, receive excitatory inputs from motor axons and inhibit homonymous and synergistic motoneurons; while Ia inhibitory …