Rostral spinal cord segments are sufficient to generate a rhythm for both locomotion and scratching but affect their hip extensor phases differently.

Neurophysiol Zhao - Zhe Hao , Megan L . Meier and Ari Berkowitz their hip extensor phases differently affecta rhythm for both locomotion and scratching but Rostral spinal cord segments are sufficient to generate

Bilateral control of hindlimb scratching in the spinal turtle: contralateral spinal circuitry contributes to the normal ipsilateral motor pattern of fictive rostral scratching.

In a spinal turtle, unilateral stimulation in the rostral scratch receptive field elicited rhythmic fictive rostral scratching in ipsilateral hindlimb motor neurons; contralateral hip motor activity was also rhythmic and out-of-phase with ipsilateral hip motor activity. When left and right rostral scratch receptive fields were stimulated simultaneously, bilateral rhythmic fictive rostral scratc...

Modular organization of turtle spinal interneurons during normal and deletion fictive rostral scratching.

During normal rostral scratching in the spinal turtle, there is rhythmic alternation between hip-flexor and hip-extensor motor activity. During rostral scratching with hip-extensor deletions, there are successive bursts of hip-flexor motor activity and no activity in hip-extensor motor neurons. We characterized the ON- and OFF-phases of 72 descending propriospinal interneurons with distinct act...

Evidence for specialized rhythm-generating mechanisms in the adult mammalian spinal cord.

Locomotion and scratch are characterized by alternation of flexion and extension phases within one hindlimb, which are mediated by rhythm-generating circuitry within the spinal cord. By definition, the rhythm generator controls cycle period, phase durations, and phase transitions. The aim was to determine whether rhythm-generating mechanisms for locomotion and scratch are similar in adult decer...

Strong interactions between spinal cord networks for locomotion and scratching.

Distinct rhythmic behaviors involving a common set of motoneurons and muscles can be generated by separate central nervous system (CNS) networks, a single network, or partly overlapping networks in invertebrates. Less is known for vertebrates. Simultaneous activation of two networks can reveal overlap or interactions between them. The turtle spinal cord contains networks that generate locomotio...