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Brainstem Circuits Controlling Movement

Research Project
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01.04.2022
 - 31.03.2026

One of the most important tasks of the nervous system is the generation of specific forms of movement as behavioral output, allowing animals or humans to interact with their surroundings appropriately according to motor plans and/or in response to influence from the environment. The motor system is broadly distributed across the nervous system, including areas close to actual motor program execution in the spinal cord, all the way up to regions of the nervous system involved in decision making and planning of motor acts. The brainstem is a key intermediary structure between higher motor centers and spinal circuits, and we have hypothesized that distinct subpopulations of brainstem neurons mediate selective motor programs. The goal of this work is to unravel key defining features of brainstem neurons involved in the regulation of diverse forms of movement, with an emphasis on understanding molecular and genetic underpinnings of brainstem neurons, as well as their plasticity during development and learning. Our project will contribute to uncovering organizational principles of neuronal circuits in the motor output system of mice, as well as the contributions of these circuits to behavioral function.

Funding

Brainstem Circuits Controlling Movement

SNF Projekt (GrantsTool), 04.2022-03.2026 (48)
PI : Arber, Silvia.

Publications

Fidelin, Kevin and Arber, Silvia (2023) ‘Brainstem circuits help zebrafish get into the swim of things’, Neuron, 111(3), pp. 294–296. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2023.01.001.

URLs
URLs

Yang, Wuzhou, Kanodia, Harsh and Arber, Silvia (2023) ‘Structural and functional map for forelimb movement phases between cortex and medulla’, Cell, 186(1), pp. 162–177.e18. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2022.12.009.

URLs
URLs

Arber, Silvia and Costa, Rui M. (2022) ‘Networking brainstem and basal ganglia circuits for movement’, Nature reviews. Neuroscience, 23(6), pp. 342–360. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-022-00581-w.

URLs
URLs

Krüttner, Sebastian et al. (2022) ‘Absence of familiarity triggers hallmarks of autism in mouse model through aberrant tail-of-striatum and prelimbic cortex signaling’, Neuron, 110(9), pp. 1468–1482.e5. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2022.02.001.

URLs
URLs

Members (3)

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Silvia Arber

Principal Investigator
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Madhav Sridharan

Project Member
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Harsh Kanodia

Project Member