1
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Li P, Xiong C, Huang B, Sun B, Gong X. Terrestrial locomotion characteristics of climbing perch (Anabas testudineus). J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb247238. [PMID: 38752366 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.247238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
The evolution and utilization of limbs facilitated terrestrial vertebrate movement on land, but little is known about how other lateral structures enhance terrestrial locomotion in amphibian fishes without terrestrialized limb structures. Climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) exhibit sustained terrestrial locomotion using uniaxial rotating gill covers instead of appendages. To investigate the role of such simple lateral structures in terrestrial locomotion and the motion-generating mechanism of the corresponding locomotor structure configuration (gill covers and body undulation), we measured the terrestrial kinematics of climbing perch and quantitatively analysed its motion characteristics. The digitized locomotor kinematics showed a unique body postural adjustment ability that enables the regulation of the posture of the caudal peduncle for converting lateral bending force into propulsion. An analysis of the coordination characteristics demonstrated that the motion of the gill cover is kinematically independent of axial undulation, suggesting that the gill cover functions as an anchored simple support pole while axial undulation actively mediates body posture and produces propulsive force. The two identified feature shapes explained more than 87% of the complex lateral undulation in multistage locomotion. The kinematic characteristics enhance our understanding of the underlying coordinating mechanism corresponding to locomotor configurations. Our work provides quantitative insight into the terrestrial locomotor adaptation of climbing perch and sheds light on terrestrial motion potential of locomotor configurations containing a typical aquatic body and restricted lateral structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peimin Li
- Institute of Medical Equipment Science and Engineering, School of Mechanical Science and Engineering , Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Caihua Xiong
- Institute of Medical Equipment Science and Engineering, School of Mechanical Science and Engineering , Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Bo Huang
- Institute of Medical Equipment Science and Engineering, School of Mechanical Science and Engineering , Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Baiyang Sun
- Institute of Medical Equipment Science and Engineering, School of Mechanical Science and Engineering , Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Xuan Gong
- Institute of Medical Equipment Science and Engineering, School of Mechanical Science and Engineering , Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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2
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Schwarz D, Heiss E, Pierson TW, Konow N, Schoch RR. Using salamanders as model taxa to understand vertebrate feeding constraints during the late Devonian water-to-land transition. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220541. [PMID: 37839447 PMCID: PMC10577038 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The vertebrate water-to-land transition and the rise of tetrapods brought about fundamental changes for the groups undergoing these evolutionary changes (i.e. stem and early tetrapods). These groups were forced to adapt to new conditions, including the distinct physical properties of water and air, requiring fundamental changes in anatomy. Nutrition (or feeding) was one of the prime physiological processes these vertebrates had to successfully adjust to change from aquatic to terrestrial life. The basal gnathostome feeding mode involves either jaw prehension or using water flows to aid in ingestion, transportation and food orientation. Meanwhile, processing was limited primarily to simple chewing bites. However, given their comparatively massive and relatively inflexible hyobranchial system (compared to the more muscular tongue of many tetrapods), it remains fraught with speculation how stem and early tetrapods managed to feed in both media. Here, we explore ontogenetic water-to-land transitions of salamanders as functional analogues to model potential changes in the feeding behaviour of stem and early tetrapods. Our data suggest two scenarios for terrestrial feeding in stem and early tetrapods as well as the presence of complex chewing behaviours, including excursions of the jaw in more than one dimension during early developmental stages. Our results demonstrate that terrestrial feeding may have been possible before flexible tongues evolved. This article is part of the theme issue 'Food processing and nutritional assimilation in animals'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Schwarz
- Department of Palaeontology, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany
- Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Erbertstrasse 1, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Egon Heiss
- Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Erbertstrasse 1, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Todd W. Pierson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA 30144, USA
| | - Nicolai Konow
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 198 Riverside Street, Lowell, MA 01854, USA
| | - Rainer R. Schoch
- Department of Palaeontology, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany
- Institute for Biology, Department of Palaeontology, University of Hohenheim, Wollgrasweg 23, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
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3
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Carbo-Tano M, Lapoix M, Jia X, Thouvenin O, Pascucci M, Auclair F, Quan FB, Albadri S, Aguda V, Farouj Y, Hillman EMC, Portugues R, Del Bene F, Thiele TR, Dubuc R, Wyart C. The mesencephalic locomotor region recruits V2a reticulospinal neurons to drive forward locomotion in larval zebrafish. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:1775-1790. [PMID: 37667039 PMCID: PMC10545542 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01418-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
The mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR) is a brain stem area whose stimulation triggers graded forward locomotion. How MLR neurons recruit downstream vsx2+ (V2a) reticulospinal neurons (RSNs) is poorly understood. Here, to overcome this challenge, we uncovered the locus of MLR in transparent larval zebrafish and show that the MLR locus is distinct from the nucleus of the medial longitudinal fasciculus. MLR stimulations reliably elicit forward locomotion of controlled duration and frequency. MLR neurons recruit V2a RSNs via projections onto somata in pontine and retropontine areas, and onto dendrites in the medulla. High-speed volumetric imaging of neuronal activity reveals that strongly MLR-coupled RSNs are active for steering or forward swimming, whereas weakly MLR-coupled medullary RSNs encode the duration and frequency of the forward component. Our study demonstrates how MLR neurons recruit specific V2a RSNs to control the kinematics of forward locomotion and suggests conservation of the motor functions of V2a RSNs across vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Carbo-Tano
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Mathilde Lapoix
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Xinyu Jia
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Olivier Thouvenin
- Institut Langevin, École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris, Paris Sciences et Lettres, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France
| | - Marco Pascucci
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, NeuroSpin, Baobab, Centre d'études de Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- The American University of Paris, Paris, France
| | - François Auclair
- Département de Neurosciences, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Feng B Quan
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Shahad Albadri
- Sorbonne Université, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Vernie Aguda
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Younes Farouj
- Institute of Neuroscience, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Elizabeth M C Hillman
- Laboratory for Functional Optical Imaging, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ruben Portugues
- Institute of Neuroscience, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster of Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
| | - Filippo Del Bene
- Sorbonne Université, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Tod R Thiele
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Réjean Dubuc
- Département de Neurosciences, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
- Groupe de Recherche en Activité Physique Adaptée, Department of Exercise Science, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
| | - Claire Wyart
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
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4
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Ijspeert AJ, Daley MA. Integration of feedforward and feedback control in the neuromechanics of vertebrate locomotion: a review of experimental, simulation and robotic studies. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245784. [PMID: 37565347 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Animal locomotion is the result of complex and multi-layered interactions between the nervous system, the musculo-skeletal system and the environment. Decoding the underlying mechanisms requires an integrative approach. Comparative experimental biology has allowed researchers to study the underlying components and some of their interactions across diverse animals. These studies have shown that locomotor neural circuits are distributed in the spinal cord, the midbrain and higher brain regions in vertebrates. The spinal cord plays a key role in locomotor control because it contains central pattern generators (CPGs) - systems of coupled neuronal oscillators that provide coordinated rhythmic control of muscle activation that can be viewed as feedforward controllers - and multiple reflex loops that provide feedback mechanisms. These circuits are activated and modulated by descending pathways from the brain. The relative contributions of CPGs, feedback loops and descending modulation, and how these vary between species and locomotor conditions, remain poorly understood. Robots and neuromechanical simulations can complement experimental approaches by testing specific hypotheses and performing what-if scenarios. This Review will give an overview of key knowledge gained from comparative vertebrate experiments, and insights obtained from neuromechanical simulations and robotic approaches. We suggest that the roles of CPGs, feedback loops and descending modulation vary among animals depending on body size, intrinsic mechanical stability, time required to reach locomotor maturity and speed effects. We also hypothesize that distal joints rely more on feedback control compared with proximal joints. Finally, we highlight important opportunities to address fundamental biological questions through continued collaboration between experimentalists and engineers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Auke J Ijspeert
- BioRobotics Laboratory, EPFL - Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Monica A Daley
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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5
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Dubuc R, Cabelguen JM, Ryczko D. Locomotor pattern generation and descending control: a historical perspective. J Neurophysiol 2023; 130:401-416. [PMID: 37465884 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00204.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Réjean Dubuc
- Groupe de Recherche en Activité Physique Adaptée, Département des Sciences de l'Activité Physique, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Groupe de Recherche sur le Système Nerveux Central, Département de Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jean-Marie Cabelguen
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U 1215-Neurocentre Magendie, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux Cedex, France
| | - Dimitri Ryczko
- Département de Pharmacologie-Physiologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
- Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
- Neurosciences Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
- Institut de Pharmacologie de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
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6
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Wang J, Huang D, Zhao Y. Energetic regenerative medicine based on plant photosynthesis grafted human cells. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2023; 68:370-372. [PMID: 36740529 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2023.01.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jinglin Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Hepatobiliary Institute of Nanjing University, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Danqing Huang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Hepatobiliary Institute of Nanjing University, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Yuanjin Zhao
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Hepatobiliary Institute of Nanjing University, Nanjing 210008, China.
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7
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Tanaka EM. Now that We Got There, What Next? Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2562:471-479. [PMID: 36272095 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2659-7_31] [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] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
As seen in the protocols in this book, the opportunities to pursue work at the cellular and molecular work in salamanders have considerably broadened over the last years. The availability of genomic information and genome editing, and the possibility to image tissues live and other methods enhance the spectrum of biological questions accessible to all researchers. Here I provide a personal perspective on what I consider exciting future questions open for investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elly M Tanaka
- Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria.
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8
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Yin B, Zhang K, Du X, Cai H, Ye T, Wang H. Developmental switch from morphological replication to compensatory growth for salamander lung regeneration. Cell Prolif 2022; 56:e13369. [PMID: 36464792 PMCID: PMC9977668 DOI: 10.1111/cpr.13369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Salamanders possess a pair of lungs for active air breathing, but the lung respiration is fully operational only during the late stage of development, particularly after metamorphosis. Larval salamanders mainly exchange air through the gills and skin, thus sparing the developing lungs. Salamanders can repair their lungs after injury, but a comparative analysis of regenerative responses between the lungs of young and adult animals is lacking. In this study, lung resections were performed in both larval and adult newts (Pleurodeles waltl). The cellular dynamics, tissue morphology and organ function during lung regeneration were examined and the Yap mutants were produced with CRISPR tools. We found that salamander switches the regenerative strategies from morphological replication through the blastema formation to compensatory growth via resident epithelial cells proliferation upon pulmonary resection injury as it transitions beyond metamorphosis. The larval animals achieve lung regeneration by forming a transient blastema-like structure and regrowing full-sized developing lungs, albeit unventilated. The adults repair injured lungs via massive proliferating epithelial cells and by expanding the existing alveolar epithelium without neo-alveolarization. Yap signalling promotes epithelial cell proliferation and prevents epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition to restore functional respiration. The salamanders have evolved distinct regenerative strategies for lung repair during different phases of life. Our results demonstrate a novel strategy for functional lung recovery by inducing epithelial cell proliferation to strengthen the remaining alveoli without rebuilding new alveoli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binxu Yin
- College of Animal Science and TechnologyShandong Agricultural UniversityTaianChina
| | - Kun Zhang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, People's Hospital of China Three Gorges UniversityThe First People's Hospital of YichangYichangChina
| | - Xinge Du
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, People's Hospital of China Three Gorges UniversityThe First People's Hospital of YichangYichangChina
| | - Hao Cai
- College of Animal Science and TechnologyShandong Agricultural UniversityTaianChina,College of Animal Science and TechnologyHuazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Tingting Ye
- College of Animal Science and TechnologyShandong Agricultural UniversityTaianChina,College of Animal Science and TechnologyHuazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Heng Wang
- College of Animal Science and TechnologyShandong Agricultural UniversityTaianChina,College of Animal Science and TechnologyHuazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhanChina
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9
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Wei X, Fu S, Li H, Liu Y, Wang S, Feng W, Yang Y, Liu X, Zeng YY, Cheng M, Lai Y, Qiu X, Wu L, Zhang N, Jiang Y, Xu J, Su X, Peng C, Han L, Lou WPK, Liu C, Yuan Y, Ma K, Yang T, Pan X, Gao S, Chen A, Esteban MA, Yang H, Wang J, Fan G, Liu L, Chen L, Xu X, Fei JF, Gu Y. Single-cell Stereo-seq reveals induced progenitor cells involved in axolotl brain regeneration. Science 2022; 377:eabp9444. [PMID: 36048929 DOI: 10.1126/science.abp9444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The molecular mechanism underlying brain regeneration in vertebrates remains elusive. We performed spatial enhanced resolution omics sequencing (Stereo-seq) to capture spatially resolved single-cell transcriptomes of axolotl telencephalon sections during development and regeneration. Annotated cell types exhibited distinct spatial distribution, molecular features, and functions. We identified an injury-induced ependymoglial cell cluster at the wound site as a progenitor cell population for the potential replenishment of lost neurons, through a cell state transition process resembling neurogenesis during development. Transcriptome comparisons indicated that these induced cells may originate from local resident ependymoglial cells. We further uncovered spatially defined neurons at the lesion site that may regress to an immature neuron-like state. Our work establishes spatial transcriptome profiles of an anamniote tetrapod brain and decodes potential neurogenesis from ependymoglial cells for development and regeneration, thus providing mechanistic insights into vertebrate brain regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Wei
- BGI-Hangzhou, Hangzhou 310012, China.,BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518103, China
| | - Sulei Fu
- Department of Pathology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510080, China.,Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Hanbo Li
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518103, China.,BGI-Qingdao, Qingdao 266555, China.,Lars Bolund Institute of Regenerative Medicine, Qingdao-Europe Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, BGI-Qingdao, Qingdao 266555, China
| | - Yang Liu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518103, China
| | - Shuai Wang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518103, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Weimin Feng
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518103, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yunzhi Yang
- BGI College & Henan Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | | | - Yan-Yun Zeng
- Department of Pathology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510080, China.,Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Mengnan Cheng
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518103, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yiwei Lai
- Laboratory of Integrative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China
| | - Xiaojie Qiu
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Liang Wu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518103, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | | | - Yujia Jiang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518103, China.,BGI College & Henan Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | - Jiangshan Xu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518103, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | | | - Cheng Peng
- Department of Pathology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510080, China.,Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Lei Han
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518103, China.,Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Single-Cell Omics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518120, China.,Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Wilson Pak-Kin Lou
- Department of Pathology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510080, China.,Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Chuanyu Liu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518103, China.,Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Yue Yuan
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518103, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | | | - Tao Yang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518103, China
| | - Xiangyu Pan
- Department of Pathology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | | | - Ao Chen
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518103, China.,Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen DK-2200, Denmark
| | - Miguel A Esteban
- Laboratory of Integrative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China.,Institute of Stem Cells and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Huanming Yang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518103, China.,James D. Watson Institute of Genome Sciences, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Jian Wang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518103, China.,James D. Watson Institute of Genome Sciences, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | | | - Longqi Liu
- BGI-Hangzhou, Hangzhou 310012, China.,BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518103, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.,Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Liang Chen
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Xun Xu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518103, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Genome Read and Write, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518120, China
| | - Ji-Feng Fei
- Department of Pathology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Ying Gu
- BGI-Hangzhou, Hangzhou 310012, China.,BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518103, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Genome Read and Write, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518120, China
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10
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Flaive A, Ryczko D. From retina to motoneurons: A substrate for visuomotor transformation in salamanders. J Comp Neurol 2022; 530:2518-2536. [PMID: 35662021 PMCID: PMC9545292 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The transformation of visual input into motor output is essential to approach a target or avoid a predator. In salamanders, visually guided orientation behaviors have been extensively studied during prey capture. However, the neural circuitry involved is not resolved. Using salamander brain preparations, calcium imaging and tracing experiments, we describe a neural substrate through which retinal input is transformed into spinal motor output. We found that retina stimulation evoked responses in reticulospinal neurons of the middle reticular nucleus, known to control steering movements in salamanders. Microinjection of glutamatergic antagonists in the optic tectum (superior colliculus in mammals) decreased the reticulospinal responses. Using tracing, we found that retina projected to the dorsal layers of the contralateral tectum, where the dendrites of neurons projecting to the middle reticular nucleus were located. In slices, stimulation of the tectal dorsal layers evoked glutamatergic responses in deep tectal neurons retrogradely labeled from the middle reticular nucleus. We then examined how tectum activation translated into spinal motor output. Tectum stimulation evoked motoneuronal responses, which were decreased by microinjections of glutamatergic antagonists in the contralateral middle reticular nucleus. Reticulospinal fibers anterogradely labeled from tracer injection in the middle reticular nucleus were preferentially distributed in proximity with the dendrites of ipsilateral motoneurons. Our work establishes a neural substrate linking visual and motor centers in salamanders. This retino‐tecto‐reticulo‐spinal circuitry is well positioned to control orienting behaviors. Our study bridges the gap between the behavioral studies and the neural mechanisms involved in the transformation of visual input into motor output in salamanders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélie Flaive
- Département de Pharmacologie-Physiologie, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - Dimitri Ryczko
- Département de Pharmacologie-Physiologie, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.,Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.,Centre d'excellence en neurosciences de l'Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.,Institut de Pharmacologie de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
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11
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Migalev AS, Vigasina KD, Gotovtsev PM. A review of motor neural system robotic modeling approaches and instruments. BIOLOGICAL CYBERNETICS 2022; 116:271-306. [PMID: 35041073 DOI: 10.1007/s00422-021-00918-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In this review, we are considering an actively developing tool in neuroscience-robotic modeling. The new perspective and existing application fields, tools, and methods are discussed. We try to determine starting positions and approaches that are useful at the beginning of new research in this field. Among multiple directions of the research is robotic modeling on the level of muscles fibers and their afferents, skin surface sensors, muscles, and joints proprioceptors. Some examples of technical implementation for physical modeling are reviewed. They are software and hardware tools like event-related modeling algorithms, reduced neuron models, robotic drives constructions. We observe existing drives technologies and prospective electric motor types: switched reluctance and transverse flux motors. Next, we look at the existing examples and approaches for robotic modeling of the cerebellum and spinal cord neural networks. These examples show practical methods for the model neural network architecture and adaptation. Those methods allow the use of cortical and spinal cord reflexes for the network training and apply additional artificial blocks for data processing in other brain structures that transmit and receive data from biologically realistic models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander S Migalev
- National Research Center "Kurchatov Intitute", 1, Akademika Kurchatova pl., Moscow, 123182, Russia
| | - Kristina D Vigasina
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of RAS, 5A, Butlerova st., Moscow, 117485, Russia
| | - Pavel M Gotovtsev
- National Research Center "Kurchatov Intitute", 1, Akademika Kurchatova pl., Moscow, 123182, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology 9, Institutsky per., Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141701, Russian Federation
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12
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MacIver MA, Finlay BL. The neuroecology of the water-to-land transition and the evolution of the vertebrate brain. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200523. [PMID: 34957852 PMCID: PMC8710882 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The water-to-land transition in vertebrate evolution offers an unusual opportunity to consider computational affordances of a new ecology for the brain. All sensory modalities are changed, particularly a greatly enlarged visual sensorium owing to air versus water as a medium, and expanded by mobile eyes and neck. The multiplication of limbs, as evolved to exploit aspects of life on land, is a comparable computational challenge. As the total mass of living organisms on land is a hundredfold larger than the mass underwater, computational improvements promise great rewards. In water, the midbrain tectum coordinates approach/avoid decisions, contextualized by water flow and by the animal's body state and learning. On land, the relative motions of sensory surfaces and effectors must be resolved, adding on computational architectures from the dorsal pallium, such as the parietal cortex. For the large-brained and long-living denizens of land, making the right decision when the wrong one means death may be the basis of planning, which allows animals to learn from hypothetical experience before enactment. Integration of value-weighted, memorized panoramas in basal ganglia/frontal cortex circuitry, with allocentric cognitive maps of the hippocampus and its associated cortices becomes a cognitive habit-to-plan transition as substantial as the change in ecology. This article is part of the theme issue 'Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malcolm A. MacIver
- Center for Robotics and Biosystems, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Barbara L. Finlay
- Department of Psychology, Behavioral and Evolutionary Neuroscience Group, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
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13
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Bio-Inspired Modular Relative Jacobian for Holistically Controlled Four-Arm Manipulators Using Opposite and Adjacent Dual-Arm Pairs. ARABIAN JOURNAL FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13369-021-06046-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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14
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Boido M, Vercelli A. Genes and miRNAs as Hurdles and Promoters of Corticospinal Tract Regeneration in Spinal Cord Injury. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:748911. [PMID: 34722529 PMCID: PMC8554128 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.748911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating lesion to the spinal cord, which determines the interruption of ascending/descending axonal tracts, the loss of supraspinal control of sensory-motor functions below the injured site, and severe autonomic dysfunctions, dramatically impacting the quality of life of the patients. After the acute inflammatory phase, the progressive formation of the astrocytic glial scar characterizes the acute-chronic phase: such scar represents one of the main obstacles to the axonal regeneration that, as known, is very limited in the central nervous system (CNS). Unfortunately, a cure for SCI is still lacking: the current clinical approaches are mainly based on early vertebral column stabilization, anti-inflammatory drug administration, and rehabilitation programs. However, new experimental therapeutic strategies are under investigation, one of which is to stimulate axonal regrowth and bypass the glial scar. One major issue in axonal regrowth consists of the different genetic programs, which characterize axonal development and maturation. Here, we will review the main hurdles that in adulthood limit axonal regeneration after SCI, describing the key genes, transcription factors, and miRNAs involved in these processes (seen their reciprocal influencing action), with particular attention to corticospinal motor neurons located in the sensory-motor cortex and subjected to axotomy in case of SCI. We will highlight the functional complexity of the neural regeneration programs. We will also discuss if specific axon growth programs, that undergo a physiological downregulation during CNS development, could be reactivated after a spinal cord trauma to sustain regrowth, representing a new potential therapeutic approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Boido
- Department of Neuroscience "Rita Levi Montalcini", Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Alessandro Vercelli
- Department of Neuroscience "Rita Levi Montalcini", Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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15
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Iyer AA, Briggman KL. Amphibian behavioral diversity offers insights into evolutionary neurobiology. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2021; 71:19-28. [PMID: 34481981 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2021.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies have served to emphasize the unique placement of amphibians, composed of more than 8000 species, in the evolution of the brain. We provide an overview of the three amphibian orders and their respective ecologies, behaviors, and brain anatomy. Studies have probed the origins of independently evolved parental care strategies in frogs and the biophysical principles driving species-specific differences in courtship vocalization patterns. Amphibians are also important models for studying the central control of movement, especially in the context of the vertebrate origin of limb-based locomotion. By highlighting the versatility of amphibians, we hope to see a further adoption of anurans, urodeles, and gymnophionans as model systems for the evolution and neural basis of behavior across vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditya A Iyer
- Center of Advanced European Studies and Research (Caesar), Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, Bonn, Germany
| | - Kevin L Briggman
- Center of Advanced European Studies and Research (Caesar), Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, Bonn, Germany.
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16
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Suzuki S, Kano T, Ijspeert AJ, Ishiguro A. Spontaneous Gait Transitions of Sprawling Quadruped Locomotion by Sensory-Driven Body-Limb Coordination Mechanisms. Front Neurorobot 2021; 15:645731. [PMID: 34393748 PMCID: PMC8361603 DOI: 10.3389/fnbot.2021.645731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Deciphering how quadrupeds coordinate their legs and other body parts, such as the trunk, head, and tail (i.e., body–limb coordination), can provide informative insights to improve legged robot mobility. In this study, we focused on sprawling locomotion of the salamander and aimed to understand the body–limb coordination mechanisms through mathematical modeling and simulations. The salamander is an amphibian that moves on the ground by coordinating the four legs with lateral body bending. It uses standing and traveling waves of lateral bending that depend on the velocity and stepping gait. However, the body–limb coordination mechanisms responsible for this flexible gait transition remain elusive. This paper presents a central-pattern-generator-based model to reproduce spontaneous gait transitions, including changes in bending patterns. The proposed model implements four feedback rules (feedback from limb-to-limb, limb-to-body, body-to-limb, and body-to-body) without assuming any inter-oscillator coupling. The interplay of the feedback rules establishes a self-organized body–limb coordination that enables the reproduction of the speed-dependent gait transitions of salamanders, as well as various gait patterns observed in sprawling quadruped animals. This suggests that sensory feedback plays an essential role in flexible body–limb coordination during sprawling quadruped locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shura Suzuki
- Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takeshi Kano
- Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Auke J Ijspeert
- Biorobotics Laboratory, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Akio Ishiguro
- Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
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17
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Ryu HX, Kuo AD. An optimality principle for locomotor central pattern generators. Sci Rep 2021; 11:13140. [PMID: 34162903 PMCID: PMC8222298 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91714-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Two types of neural circuits contribute to legged locomotion: central pattern generators (CPGs) that produce rhythmic motor commands (even in the absence of feedback, termed “fictive locomotion”), and reflex circuits driven by sensory feedback. Each circuit alone serves a clear purpose, and the two together are understood to cooperate during normal locomotion. The difficulty is in explaining their relative balance objectively within a control model, as there are infinite combinations that could produce the same nominal motor pattern. Here we propose that optimization in the presence of uncertainty can explain how the circuits should best be combined for locomotion. The key is to re-interpret the CPG in the context of state estimator-based control: an internal model of the limbs that predicts their state, using sensory feedback to optimally balance competing effects of environmental and sensory uncertainties. We demonstrate use of optimally predicted state to drive a simple model of bipedal, dynamic walking, which thus yields minimal energetic cost of transport and best stability. The internal model may be implemented with neural circuitry compatible with classic CPG models, except with neural parameters determined by optimal estimation principles. Fictive locomotion also emerges, but as a side effect of estimator dynamics rather than an explicit internal rhythm. Uncertainty could be key to shaping CPG behavior and governing optimal use of feedback.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hansol X Ryu
- Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada.
| | - Arthur D Kuo
- Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada.,Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
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18
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Sánchez-Rodríguez J, Celestini F, Raufaste C, Argentina M. Proprioceptive Mechanism for Bioinspired Fish Swimming. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 126:234501. [PMID: 34170168 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.126.234501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In this Letter, we propose a mechanism for driving bioinspired fish swimming locomotion based on proprioceptive sensing. Proprioception provides information about and representation of a body's position, motion, and acceleration in addition to the usual five senses. We hypothesize that a feedback loop based on this "sixth" sense results in an instability, driving the locomotion. In order to test our assumptions, we use a biomimetic robot and compare the experimental results to a simple yet generic model with excellent agreement.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Sánchez-Rodríguez
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institut de Physique de Nice, 06100 Nice, France
| | - F Celestini
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institut de Physique de Nice, 06100 Nice, France
| | - C Raufaste
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institut de Physique de Nice, 06100 Nice, France
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 75005 Paris, France
| | - M Argentina
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institut de Physique de Nice, 06100 Nice, France
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19
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van der Zouwen CI, Boutin J, Fougère M, Flaive A, Vivancos M, Santuz A, Akay T, Sarret P, Ryczko D. Freely Behaving Mice Can Brake and Turn During Optogenetic Stimulation of the Mesencephalic Locomotor Region. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:639900. [PMID: 33897379 PMCID: PMC8062873 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.639900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A key function of the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR) is to control the speed of forward symmetrical locomotor movements. However, the ability of freely moving mammals to integrate environmental cues to brake and turn during MLR stimulation is poorly documented. Here, we investigated whether freely behaving mice could brake or turn, based on environmental cues during MLR stimulation. We photostimulated the cuneiform nucleus (part of the MLR) in mice expressing channelrhodopsin in Vglut2-positive neurons in a Cre-dependent manner (Vglut2-ChR2-EYFP) using optogenetics. We detected locomotor movements using deep learning. We used patch-clamp recordings to validate the functional expression of channelrhodopsin and neuroanatomy to visualize the stimulation sites. In the linear corridor, gait diagram and limb kinematics were similar during spontaneous and optogenetic-evoked locomotion. In the open-field arena, optogenetic stimulation of the MLR evoked locomotion, and increasing laser power increased locomotor speed. Mice could brake and make sharp turns (~90°) when approaching a corner during MLR stimulation in the open-field arena. The speed during the turn was scaled with the speed before the turn, and with the turn angle. Patch-clamp recordings in Vglut2-ChR2-EYFP mice show that blue light evoked short-latency spiking in MLR neurons. Our results strengthen the idea that different brainstem neurons convey braking/turning and MLR speed commands in mammals. Our study also shows that Vglut2-positive neurons of the cuneiform nucleus are a relevant target to increase locomotor activity without impeding the ability to brake and turn when approaching obstacles, thus ensuring smooth and adaptable navigation. Our observations may have clinical relevance since cuneiform nucleus stimulation is increasingly considered to improve locomotion function in pathological states such as Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury, or stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelis Immanuel van der Zouwen
- Département de pharmacologie-physiologie, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Joël Boutin
- Département de pharmacologie-physiologie, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Maxime Fougère
- Département de pharmacologie-physiologie, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Aurélie Flaive
- Département de pharmacologie-physiologie, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Mélanie Vivancos
- Département de pharmacologie-physiologie, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Alessandro Santuz
- Department of Medical Neuroscience, Atlantic Mobility Action Project, Brain Repair Center, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.,Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Turgay Akay
- Department of Medical Neuroscience, Atlantic Mobility Action Project, Brain Repair Center, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Philippe Sarret
- Département de pharmacologie-physiologie, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.,Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.,Centre d'excellence en neurosciences de l'Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.,Institut de pharmacologie de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Dimitri Ryczko
- Département de pharmacologie-physiologie, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.,Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.,Centre d'excellence en neurosciences de l'Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.,Institut de pharmacologie de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
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20
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Suzuki S, Kano T, Ijspeert AJ, Ishiguro A. Sprawling Quadruped Robot Driven by Decentralized Control With Cross-Coupled Sensory Feedback Between Legs and Trunk. Front Neurorobot 2021; 14:607455. [PMID: 33488377 PMCID: PMC7820706 DOI: 10.3389/fnbot.2020.607455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Quadruped animals achieve agile and highly adaptive locomotion owing to the coordination between their legs and other body parts, such as the trunk, head, and tail, that is, body–limb coordination. This study aims to understand the sensorimotor control underlying body–limb coordination. To this end, we adopted sprawling locomotion in vertebrate animals as a model behavior. This is a quadruped walking gait with lateral body bending used by many amphibians and lizards. Our previous simulation study demonstrated that cross-coupled sensory feedback between the legs and trunk helps to rapidly establish body–limb coordination and improve locomotion performance. This paper presented an experimental validation of the cross-coupled sensory feedback control using a newly developed quadruped robot. The results show similar tendencies to the simulation study. Sensory feedback provides rapid convergence to stable gait, robustness against leg failure, and morphological changes. Our study suggests that sensory feedback potentially plays an essential role in body–limb coordination and provides a robust, sensory-driven control principle for quadruped robots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shura Suzuki
- Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takeshi Kano
- Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Auke J Ijspeert
- Biorobotics Laboratory, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Akio Ishiguro
- Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
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21
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Knüsel J, Crespi A, Cabelguen JM, Ijspeert AJ, Ryczko D. Reproducing Five Motor Behaviors in a Salamander Robot With Virtual Muscles and a Distributed CPG Controller Regulated by Drive Signals and Proprioceptive Feedback. Front Neurorobot 2020; 14:604426. [PMID: 33424576 PMCID: PMC7786271 DOI: 10.3389/fnbot.2020.604426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Diverse locomotor behaviors emerge from the interactions between the spinal central pattern generator (CPG), descending brain signals and sensory feedback. Salamander motor behaviors include swimming, struggling, forward underwater stepping, and forward and backward terrestrial stepping. Electromyographic and kinematic recordings of the trunk show that each of these five behaviors is characterized by specific patterns of muscle activation and body curvature. Electrophysiological recordings in isolated spinal cords show even more diverse patterns of activity. Using numerical modeling and robotics, we explored the mechanisms through which descending brain signals and proprioceptive feedback could take advantage of the flexibility of the spinal CPG to generate different motor patterns. Adapting a previous CPG model based on abstract oscillators, we propose a model that reproduces the features of spinal cord recordings: the diversity of motor patterns, the correlation between phase lags and cycle frequencies, and the spontaneous switches between slow and fast rhythms. The five salamander behaviors were reproduced by connecting the CPG model to a mechanical simulation of the salamander with virtual muscles and local proprioceptive feedback. The main results were validated on a robot. A distributed controller was used to obtain the fast control loops necessary for implementing the virtual muscles. The distributed control is demonstrated in an experiment where the robot splits into multiple functional parts. The five salamander behaviors were emulated by regulating the CPG with two descending drives. Reproducing the kinematics of backward stepping and struggling however required stronger muscle contractions. The passive oscillations observed in the salamander's tail during forward underwater stepping could be reproduced using a third descending drive of zero to the tail oscillators. This reduced the drag on the body in our hydrodynamic simulation. We explored the effect of local proprioceptive feedback during swimming and forward terrestrial stepping. We found that feedback could replace or reduce the need for different drives in both cases. It also reduced the variability of intersegmental phase lags toward values appropriate for locomotion. Our work suggests that different motor behaviors do not require different CPG circuits: a single circuit can produce various behaviors when modulated by descending drive and sensory feedback.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérémie Knüsel
- Biorobotics Laboratory (BioRob), Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Institute for Optimisation and Data Analysis (IODA), Bern University of Applied Sciences, Biel, Switzerland
| | - Alessandro Crespi
- Biorobotics Laboratory (BioRob), Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jean-Marie Cabelguen
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U 862 - Neurocentre Magendie, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Auke J Ijspeert
- Biorobotics Laboratory (BioRob), Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Dimitri Ryczko
- Département de Pharmacologie-Physiologie, Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.,Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.,Institut de Pharmacologie de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.,Centre d'Excellence en Neurosciences de l'Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
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