RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Functional coupling of the mesencephalic locomotor region and V2a reticulospinal neurons driving forward locomotion
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2022.04.01.486703
DO 10.1101/2022.04.01.486703
A1 Martin Carbo-Tano
A1 Mathilde Lapoix
A1 Xinyu Jia
A1 François Auclair
A1 Réjean Dubuc
A1 Claire Wyart
YR 2022
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2022/04/05/2022.04.01.486703.abstract
AB Locomotion in vertebrates relies on high brain centers converging onto the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR). How the MLR recruits brainstem reticulospinal neurons (RSNs) to initiate locomotion is incompletely understood due to the challenge of recording these cells in vivo. To tackle this question, we leveraged the transparency and genetic accessibility of larval zebrafish. In this model organism, we uncovered the locus of the MLR as a small region dorsal to the locus coeruleus containing glutamatergic and cholinergic neurons. MLR stimulations reliably elicited forward bouts of controlled duration and speed. We find that the MLR elicits forward locomotion by recruiting V2a RSNs in the pontine and retropontine regions, and gradually in the medulla. Remarkably, recruited V2a RSNs in the medulla act as maintain cells encoding speed of forward locomotion. Altogether, our study reveals that the MLR recruits genetically-identified reticulospinal neurons in the medulla to control the kinematics of exploration.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.