Neural Circuits CPG

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Neural Circuits CPG

“The swimmerets of crayfish serve a function in posture control and beat rhythmically when the animals swim forward, ventilate their burrows or females aerate their eggs 5, 6. The swimmerets of the signal crayfish, Pacifastacus leniusculus, occur in pairs from the second to the fifth abdominal segment, with one limb on each side of the abdomen 7. The central nervous system produces on its own the rhythmic motor pattern, which drives the swimmeret movement in the intact animal as well as in the isolated nerve cord preparation. When there is no sensory feedback or descending input present the rhythmic motor pattern produced is called fictive locomotion 1, 2. In the swimmeret system this motor pattern does not differ in any parameter from the activity of the swimmerets measured in the intact animal.

The movement of each swimmeret is driven by a microcircuit that is located in and restricted to one corresponding hemiganglion 1 - 3. In each microcircuit there is a pattern generating kernel that comprises five identified non spiking interneurons. They can be functionally characterized as being either Inhibitor of Power Stroke (IPS) or Inhibitor of Return Stroke (IRS) 8. These IPS and IRS interneurons are not endogenous oscillators, rather their alternating activity is driven by reciprocal inhibition 9. Because these interneurons inhibit the swimmeret motor neurons directly, the alternating PS-RS movement is generated 10. Locomotion however, does not only require the generation of activity, but also coordination of the different independent microcircuits. In the swimmeret system such coordination is established by the coordinating microcircuit which ensures that limbs are active at correct times. This microcircuit is built by three identified neurons in each segment 11-15.” - Link to paper in JOVE for this text

CPGs of crayfish system and antidromic sensory + orthodromic motor neuron stim

Circuit Modelling Supplement? Cell Types physiology Supplement?