Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026

In Vivo Wireless Optogenetic Control of Skilled Motor Behavior
Published on: November 22, 2021
Overview of neurophysiology of movement control
1UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK. j.rothwell@ucl.ac.uk
Abstract:
The motoneuronal outputs from cortex and spinal cord have quite different patterns of organisation. The cortex consists of a highly intermixed mosaic of small output zones whereas the motoneurones in the cord are located in clearly defined columns of cells, that all project to the same muscle. I describe the pattern of innervation between cortex and cord, indicate the importance of cortical plasticity in allowing flexible control of spinal circuits, and show how these inputs interact. Finally I discuss some of the new methods of stimulating descending motor pathways in humans.
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