Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2012 Jun 21;74(6):975-89.
doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.05.011.

Motor circuits in action: specification, connectivity, and function

Affiliations
Free article
Review

Motor circuits in action: specification, connectivity, and function

Silvia Arber. Neuron. .
Free article

Abstract

Mammalian motor behavior is enabled by a hierarchy of interleaved circuit modules constructed by interneurons in the spinal cord, sensory feedback loops, and bilateral communication with supraspinal centers. Neuronal subpopulations are specified through a process of precisely timed neurogenesis, acquisition of transcriptional programs, and migration to spatially confined domains. Developmental and genetic programs instruct stereotyped and highly specific connectivity patterns, binding functionally distinct neuronal subpopulations into motor circuit modules at all hierarchical levels. Recent work demonstrates that spatial organization of motor circuits relates to precise connectivity patterns and that these patterns frequently correlate with specific behavioral functions of motor output. This Review highlights key examples of how developmental specification dictates organization of motor circuit connectivity and thereby controls movement.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources