Different neuronal groups govern right-left alternation when walking
Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have identified the neuronal circuits in the spinal cord of mice that control the ability to produce the alternating movements of the legs during walking. The study, published in the journal Nature, demonstrates that two genetically-defined groups of nerve cells are in control of limb alternation at different speeds of locomotion, and thus that the animals’ gait is disturbed when these cell populations are missing.Most land animals can walk or run by alternating their left and right legs in different coordinated patterns. Some animals, such as
