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Updated: Aug 16, 2026
08:12
Experimental Methods to Study Human Postural Control
Published on: September 11, 2019
Perinatal development of the motor systems involved in postural control
Laurent Vinay1, Faïza Ben-Mabrouk, Frédéric Brocard
1Centre National de la Recherche Scientifiqu and Universite de la Méditerranée, Laboratoire Plasticité et Physio-Pathologie de la Motricité (UMR6196), CNRS, F-13402 Marseille, France. vinay@dpm.cnrs-mrs.fr
Neural Plasticity
|August 16, 2005
Summary
Postnatal maturation of posture in rats involves brain stem pathways. Serotonin depletion impacts posture and motor neuron excitability, potentially explaining childhood motor deficits linked to prenatal factors.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Motor Control
Background:
- Neonatal motor behaviors are immature in species like rats and human infants.
- Postnatal development of posture relies on complex neural pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review mechanisms of postnatal postural maturation in rats.
- To explore the role of serotonin in motor control development.
- To hypothesize potential prenatal origins of childhood motor coordination deficits.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent data on brain stem pathways to the spinal cord.
- Analysis of the effects of serotonin depletion on posture and motoneuron excitability.
Main Results:
- Serotonin depletion transiently impairs posture and motoneuron excitability.
- Brain stem pathways projecting to the lumbar spinal cord are crucial for postural development.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal serotonin depletion, possibly due to environmental factors, may underlie motor coordination deficits in children.
- Understanding these developmental pathways is key to addressing motor impairments.
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