Dataset Information

Basal ganglia-spinal cord pathway that commands locomotor gait asymmetries in mice.

ABSTRACT: The basal ganglia are essential for executing motor actions. How the basal ganglia engage spinal motor networks has remained elusive. Medullary Chx10 gigantocellular (Gi) neurons are required for turning gait programs, suggesting that turning gaits organized by the basal ganglia are executed via this descending pathway. Performing deep brainstem recordings of Chx10 Gi Ca²⁺ activity in adult mice, we show that striatal projection neurons initiate turning gaits via a dominant crossed pathway to Chx10 Gi neurons on the contralateral side. Using intersectional viral tracing and cell-type-specific modulation, we uncover the principal basal ganglia-spinal cord pathway for locomotor asymmetries in mice: basal ganglia → pontine reticular nucleus, oral part (PnO) → Chx10 Gi → spinal cord. Modulating the restricted PnO → Chx10 Gi pathway restores turning competence upon striatal damage, suggesting that dysfunction of this pathway may contribute to debilitating turning deficits observed in Parkinson's disease. Our results reveal the stratified circuit architecture underlying a critical motor program.

SUBMITTER: Cregg JM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11001584 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Basal ganglia-spinal cord pathway that commands locomotor gait asymmetries in mice.

Cregg Jared M JM Sidhu Simrandeep K SK Leiras Roberto R Kiehn Ole O

Nature neuroscience 20240212 4

The basal ganglia are essential for executing motor actions. How the basal ganglia engage spinal motor networks has remained elusive. Medullary Chx10 gigantocellular (Gi) neurons are required for turning gait programs, suggesting that turning gaits organized by the basal ganglia are executed via this descending pathway. Performing deep brainstem recordings of Chx10 Gi Ca<sup>2+</sup> activity in adult mice, we show that striatal projection neurons initiate turning gaits via a dominant crossed pa ...[more]

PMID: 38347200

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundHigh-intensity stepping practice may be a critical component to improve gait following motor incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI). However, such practice is discouraged by traditional theories of rehabilitation that suggest high-intensity locomotor exercise degrades gait performance. Accordingly, such training is thought to reinforce abnormal movement patterns, although evidence to support this notion is limited.ObjectiveThe purposes of this study were: (1) to evaluate the effects of short-term manipulations in locomotor intensity on gait performance in people with iSCI and (2) to evaluate potential detrimental effects of high-intensity locomotor training on walking performance.DesignA single-day, repeated-measures, pretraining-posttraining study design was used.MethodsNineteen individuals with chronic iSCI performed a graded-intensity locomotor exercise task with simultaneous collection of lower extremity kinematic and electromyographic data. Measures of interest were compared across intensity levels of 33%, 67%, and 100% of peak gait speed. A subset of 9 individuals participated in 12 weeks of high-intensity locomotor training. Similar measurements were collected and compared between pretraining and posttraining evaluations.ResultsThe results indicate that short-term increases in intensity led to significant improvements in muscle activity, spatiotemporal metrics, and joint excursions, with selected improvements in measures of locomotor coordination. High-intensity locomotor training led to significant increases in peak gait speed (0.64-0.80 m/s), and spatiotemporal and kinematic metrics indicate a trend for improved coordination.LimitationsMeasures of gait performance were assessed during treadmill ambulation and not compared with a control group. Generalizability of these results to overground ambulation is unknown.ConclusionsHigh-intensity locomotor exercise and training does not degrade, but rather improves, locomotor function and quality in individuals with iSCI, which contrasts with traditional theories of motor dysfunction following neurologic injury.

Dataset Information

Basal ganglia-spinal cord pathway that commands locomotor gait asymmetries in mice.

Publications

Basal ganglia-spinal cord pathway that commands locomotor gait asymmetries in mice.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets