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Zhao Q, Li X, Wen J, He Y, Zheng N, Li W, Cardona A, Gong Z. A two-layer neural circuit controls fast forward locomotion in Drosophila. Curr Biol 2024; 34:3439-3453.e5. [PMID: 39053465 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.06.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Fast forward locomotion is critical for animal hunting and escaping behaviors. However, how the underlying neural circuit is wired at synaptic resolution to decide locomotion direction and speed remains poorly understood. Here, we identified in the ventral nerve cord (VNC) a set of ascending cholinergic neurons (AcNs) to be command neurons capable of initiating fast forward peristaltic locomotion in Drosophila larvae. Targeted manipulations revealed that AcNs are necessary and sufficient for fast forward locomotion. AcNs can activate their postsynaptic partners, A01j and A02j; both are interneurons with locomotory rhythmicity. Activated A01j neurons form a posterior-anteriorly descendent gradient in output activity along the VNC to launch forward locomotion from the tail. Activated A02j neurons exhibit quicker intersegmental transmission in activity that enables fast propagation of motor waves. Our work revealed a global neural mechanism that coordinately controls the launch direction and propagation speed of Drosophila locomotion, furthering the understanding of the strategy for locomotion control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianhui Zhao
- Department of neurology of the fourth Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China; Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain-machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, 1369 West Wenyi Road, Hangzhou 311121, China; NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Xinhang Li
- Department of neurology of the fourth Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China; Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain-machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, 1369 West Wenyi Road, Hangzhou 311121, China; NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Jun Wen
- Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Yinhui He
- Department of neurology of the fourth Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China; Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain-machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, 1369 West Wenyi Road, Hangzhou 311121, China; NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Nenggan Zheng
- Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Wenchang Li
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9JP, UK
| | - Albert Cardona
- Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.
| | - Zhefeng Gong
- Department of neurology of the fourth Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China; Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain-machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, 1369 West Wenyi Road, Hangzhou 311121, China; NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China.
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Wilson AC, Sweeney LB. Spinal cords: Symphonies of interneurons across species. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1146449. [PMID: 37180760 PMCID: PMC10169611 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1146449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Vertebrate movement is orchestrated by spinal inter- and motor neurons that, together with sensory and cognitive input, produce dynamic motor behaviors. These behaviors vary from the simple undulatory swimming of fish and larval aquatic species to the highly coordinated running, reaching and grasping of mice, humans and other mammals. This variation raises the fundamental question of how spinal circuits have changed in register with motor behavior. In simple, undulatory fish, exemplified by the lamprey, two broad classes of interneurons shape motor neuron output: ipsilateral-projecting excitatory neurons, and commissural-projecting inhibitory neurons. An additional class of ipsilateral inhibitory neurons is required to generate escape swim behavior in larval zebrafish and tadpoles. In limbed vertebrates, a more complex spinal neuron composition is observed. In this review, we provide evidence that movement elaboration correlates with an increase and specialization of these three basic interneuron types into molecularly, anatomically, and functionally distinct subpopulations. We summarize recent work linking neuron types to movement-pattern generation across fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lora B. Sweeney
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), Klosterneuburg, Lower Austria, Austria
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Abstract
When animals walk overground, mechanical stimuli activate various receptors located in muscles, joints, and skin. Afferents from these mechanoreceptors project to neuronal networks controlling locomotion in the spinal cord and brain. The dynamic interactions between the control systems at different levels of the neuraxis ensure that locomotion adjusts to its environment and meets task demands. In this article, we describe and discuss the essential contribution of somatosensory feedback to locomotion. We start with a discussion of how biomechanical properties of the body affect somatosensory feedback. We follow with the different types of mechanoreceptors and somatosensory afferents and their activity during locomotion. We then describe central projections to locomotor networks and the modulation of somatosensory feedback during locomotion and its mechanisms. We then discuss experimental approaches and animal models used to investigate the control of locomotion by somatosensory feedback before providing an overview of the different functional roles of somatosensory feedback for locomotion. Lastly, we briefly describe the role of somatosensory feedback in the recovery of locomotion after neurological injury. We highlight the fact that somatosensory feedback is an essential component of a highly integrated system for locomotor control. © 2021 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 11:1-71, 2021.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alain Frigon
- Department of Pharmacology-Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - Turgay Akay
- Department of Medical Neuroscience, Atlantic Mobility Action Project, Brain Repair Center, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Boris I Prilutsky
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Deliagina TG, Musienko PE, Zelenin PV. Nervous mechanisms of locomotion in different directions. CURRENT OPINION IN PHYSIOLOGY 2018; 8:7-13. [PMID: 31468024 DOI: 10.1016/j.cophys.2018.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Locomotion, that is active propulsive movement of the body in space, is a vital motor function. Intensive studies of the main, for the majority of living beings, form of locomotion, forward locomotion, have revealed essential features of the organization and operation of underlying neural mechanisms. However, animals and humans are capable to locomote not only forward but also in other directions in relation to the body axis, e.g. backward, sideways, etc. Single steps in different directions are also used for postural corrections during locomotion and during standing. Recent studies of mechanisms underlying control of locomotion in different directions have greatly expanded our knowledge about locomotor system and can contribute to improvement of rehabilitation strategies aimed at restoration of locomotion and balance control in patients. This review outlines recent advances in the studies of locomotion in different directions in lower and higher vertebrates, with special attention given to the neuronal locomotor mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana G Deliagina
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, SE-17177, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Pavel E Musienko
- Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
- Pavlov Institute of Physiology, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
- Russian Research Center of Radiology and Surgical Technologies, Ministry of Healthcare of the RF, 197758 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Pavel V Zelenin
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, SE-17177, Stockholm, Sweden
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