Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Photodiode-Based Optical Imaging for Recording Network Dynamics with Single-Neuron Resolution in Non-Transgenic Invertebrates
Published on: July 9, 2020
Probing the locomotor conundrum: descending the 'V' interneuron ladder
1Biozentrum, Department of Cell Biology, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 70, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
Abstract:
The assembly of neuronal circuits involved in locomotor control in the mammalian spinal cord is influenced by genetic programs specifying four ventral (V) interneuron populations (V0-V3). In this issue of Neuron, Crone et al. and Zhang et al. make use of genetic tools to map connectivity patterns and to abolish the function of V2a and V3 interneurons. The absence of V2a interneurons reveals defects in left-right alternation during locomotion, whereas ablation of either V2a or V3 interneurons leads to disturbances in the precision and reliability of the motor output.
Related Concept Videos
Hierarchy of Motor Control
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...
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...
Spinal Cord: Cross-sectional Anatomy
Gray Matter and its Components
Central to the gray matter is...
Diencephalon: Thalamus and Information Relay

