Locomotor pattern generation and descending control: a historical perspective

Réjean Dubuc (1) , Jean-Marie Cabelguen (2) , Dimitri Ryczko (3)

1 UQAM - Université du Québec à Montréal = University of Québec in Montréal
2 U1215 Inserm - UB - Neurocentre Magendie : Physiopathologie de la Plasticité Neuronale
3 UdeS - Université de Sherbrooke

The ability to generate and control locomotor movements depends on complex interactions between many areas of the nervous system, the musculoskeletal system, and the environment. How the nervous system manages to accomplish this task has been the subject of investigation for more than a century. In vertebrates, locomotion is generated by neural networks located in the spinal cord referred to as central pattern generators. Descending inputs from the brain stem initiate, maintain, and stop locomotion as well as control speed and direction. Sensory inputs adapt locomotor programs to the environmental conditions. This review presents a comparative and historical overview of some of the neural mechanisms underlying the control of locomotion in vertebrates. We have put an emphasis on spinal mechanisms and descending control.

Mots clés: Brain stem; Central pattern generator; Locomotion; Spinal cord

Domaines: Neurosciences [q-bio.NC]

Réjean Dubuc, Jean-Marie Cabelguen, Dimitri Ryczko. Locomotor pattern generation and descending control: a historical perspective. Journal of Neurophysiology, 2023, 130 (2), pp.401-416. ⟨10.1152/jn.00204.2023⟩. ⟨hal-04490388⟩