Brainstem circuit ensembles for movement flexibility

Introduction

Movement is the shared language of behavior across the animal kingdom, orchestrated by dedicated circuits throughout the central nervous system. To survive, animals must move with a high degree of flexibility, requiring precise and rapid changes in speed and trajectory.

Flexibility of Locomotion

This flexibility of locomotion depends on the brain's ability to select appropriate motor programs and coordinate body and appendage muscles to match the locomotor movement parameters to the behavioral context. In particular, the brainstem has been identified as the major site for shaping motor commands to provide this flexibility.

Research Question

A key, unsolved question is how the final brainstem commands are generated and adjusted. In this project, we will test a new hypothesis that challenges current views in motor control, namely that the final motor commands driving the flexibility of locomotion movements are the combined product of precise interactions between circuit ensembles in the brainstem and real-time feedback from the spinal circuits.

Methodology

Our approach harnesses the powerful combination of:

• All-optical techniques
• scRNAseq
• Electrophysiology at single-neuron resolution

These methods will be used to determine the principles of circuit integration within and across brainstem circuits in adult zebrafish.

Expected Outcomes

This innovative approach will allow us to uncover circuit function at a level of resolution that has never been achieved before in a behaving vertebrate animal. By performing a system-wide analysis at single-cell resolution, we expect to gain unique insights that will transform existing views in the field of motor control.

Conclusion

This project will chart a novel, system-wide circuit blueprint for movement control and flexibility in vertebrates.