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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

In Vivo Wireless Optogenetic Control of Skilled Motor Behavior

In Vivo Wireless Optogenetic Control of Skilled Motor Behavior

Published on: November 22, 2021

Circuits for skilled reaching and grasping.

Bror Alstermark¹, Tadashi Isa

¹Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Section of Physiology, Umeå University, S-901 87 Umeå, Sweden. Bror.Alstermark@physiol.umu.se

Annual Review of Neuroscience

|April 25, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Basic motor functions rely on spinal cord and brain-stem circuits. Skilled movements like grasping are controlled by distinct spinal interneurons, challenging previous views on motor control pathways.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Motor Control
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

Basic motor functions (locomotion, posture) are controlled by spinal cord and brain-stem neural circuits.
Voluntary movements (reaching, grasping) are traditionally attributed to the motor cortex via the corticomotoneuronal (CM) pathway.

Purpose of the Study:

To describe populations of spinal interneurons involved in skilled reaching and grasping.
To review these pathways in cats, monkeys, and humans.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on motor control pathways.
Comparative analysis of neural circuitry across species (cat, monkey, human).

Main Results:

Challenged the direct corticomotoneuronal pathway model using cat studies (lacking direct CM system).
Demonstrated that motor commands for reaching and grasping can be mediated by spinal interneurons.
Identified distinct spinal interneuron populations for skilled movements versus basic motor functions.

Conclusions:

Spinal interneurons play a crucial role in mediating descending motor commands for skilled movements.
The control of reaching and grasping involves specific spinal interneuron populations separate from those for locomotion and posture.
Understanding these distinct pathways is key to comprehending motor control evolution and function across species.