Sophisticated spinal contributions to motor control
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 26, 2026

Spinal Cord Electrophysiology
Published on: January 18, 2010
Richard Poppele1, Gianfranco Bosco
1Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. dick@umn.edu
Abstract:
The neural circuitry of the spinal cord is capable of solving some of the most complex problems in motor control. Therefore, spinal mechanisms are much more sophisticated than many neuroscientists give them credit for. A key issue in motor control is how sensory inputs direct and inform motor output,--that is, the sensorimotor process. Other major issues involve the actual control of the motor apparatus. In general, there are at least three basic requirements for motor control: the transformations that map information from sensory to motor coordinates, the specification of individual muscle activations to achieve a kinematic goal, and the control of multiple degrees of freedom. Here, we make the case that the vertebrate spinal cord has the capacity to solve each of these problems to a degree that is relevant for normal behavior.
Related Concept Videos
Hierarchy of Motor Control
Spinal Cord: Cross-sectional Anatomy
Gray Matter and its Components
Central to the gray matter is...
Indirect Motor Pathways
The vestibulospinal tract originates in the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. The vestibular system detects changes in...
Spinal Cord: Information Processing
Sensory Information Processing
Sensory information processing begins at the sensory receptors located in the skin and other tissues, which detect somatic sensory stimuli such as touch, temperature, or pain. These receptors function as catalysts, initiating...
Direct Motor Pathways
The corticospinal tract is responsible for the voluntary movement of the limbs and trunk. It originates in the cerebral cortex of the brain and descends through the cerebrum's internal capsule and the...
Brainstem
The Midbrain
The midbrain is located beneath the diencephalon and connects the cerebrum with the lower parts of the brain. The cerebral peduncles are prominent midbrain structures that house the...

