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Related Experiment Videos

The corticospinal system: from development to motor control.

John H Martin1

  • 1Center for Neurology and Behavior, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032, USA. jm17@columbia.edu

The Neuroscientist : a Review Journal Bringing Neurobiology, Neurology and Psychiatry
|March 5, 2005
PubMed
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The corticospinal system refines its spinal cord connections postnatally through neural activity and motor experience. This activity drives synapse competition, shaping skilled motor control development.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Motor Control

Background:

  • The corticospinal system is crucial for skilled and flexible movements.
  • It is the last motor system to develop, with its axonal projections undergoing significant refinement.
  • Initial corticospinal axon termination patterns differ markedly from mature patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the developmental refinement of corticospinal system terminations in the spinal cord.
  • To understand the role of neural activity and motor experience in this refinement process.
  • To elucidate the competitive mechanisms driving synapse formation and elimination.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of corticospinal axon development and termination patterns.
  • Investigation of neural activity and limb motor experience influences.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Study of synaptic competition among developing corticospinal terminals.

    • Main Results:

    • Corticospinal terminations undergo significant refinement postnatally, involving elimination and new target growth.
    • Neural activity and limb motor experience are key drivers of this refinement.
    • Developing corticospinal terminals compete for synaptic space, with more active terminals being more successful.
    • Early synaptic activity is critical for connection refinement rather than immediate motor control.

    Conclusions:

    • Postnatal refinement of corticospinal connections is activity-dependent and experience-driven.
    • Synaptic competition plays a vital role in establishing mature corticospinal circuitry.
    • Functional motor control emerges after specific connectional development, synaptic facilitation, and motor map formation.