A Specific Population of Reticulospinal Neurons Controls the Termination of Locomotion

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Motor Control
• Locomotion

Background:

• Locomotion initiation, maintenance, and termination depend on precise neural sequencing.
• Recent studies implicated brainstem neurons in stopping locomotion in mammals.
• Cellular properties and activity patterns of these stopping neurons remain largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the cellular activity of neurons involved in stopping locomotion.
• To investigate the role of these neurons in locomotor termination using the lamprey model.

Main Methods:

• Electrophysiological recordings to monitor neural activity during locomotion.
• Pharmacological activation of identified neurons.
• Inactivation of identified neurons to assess effects on locomotion termination.

Main Results:

• A specific population of neurons, termed 'stop cells', exhibited a burst of spikes coinciding with the cessation of swimming.
• Pharmacological activation of stop cells effectively terminated ongoing swimming activity.
• Inactivation of stop cells significantly hindered the ability to rapidly stop swimming.

Conclusions:

• Stop cells play a critical role in the termination of locomotion.
• These findings elucidate the cellular mechanisms underlying locomotor termination.
• The study advances the fundamental understanding of motor control systems.