A series of recent studies identified key structures in the mesencephalic locomotor region and the caudal brainstem of mice involved in the initiation and control of slow (exploratory) and fast (escape-type) locomotion and gait. However, the interactions of these brainstem centers with each other and with the spinal locomotor circuits are poorly understood. Previously we suggested that commissural and long propriospinal interneurons are the main targets for brainstem inputs adjusting gait (Danner et al., 2017). Here, by extending our previous model, we propose a connectome of the brainstem-spinal circuitry and suggest a mechanistic explanation of the operation of brainstem structures and their roles in controlling speed and gait. We suggest that brainstem control of locomotion is mediated by two pathways, one controlling locomotor speed via connections to rhythm generating circuits in the spinal cord and the other providing gait control by targeting commissural and long propriospinal interneurons.
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机译：一系列最新研究确定了小鼠中脑运动区和尾脑干的关键结构，这些小鼠参与了慢速（探索性）和快速（逃逸型）运动和步态的启动和控制。但是，这些脑干中心彼此之间以及与脊髓运动回路的相互作用了解得很少。以前我们认为连合和较长的椎体前神经元是调节脑干步态的主要目标（Danner et al。，2017）。在这里，通过扩展我们先前的模型，我们提出了脑干-脊髓电路的连接体，并提出了脑干结构操作及其在控制速度和步态中的作用的机械解释。我们建议运动的脑干控制是通过两种途径介导的，一种通过连接到脊髓中的节律发生电路来控制运动速度，另一种通过靶向合纵肌和长螺旋体中神经元来提供步态控制。
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