The brain integrates proprioceptive information to ensure robust locomotion

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Item Type:	Article
Title:	The brain integrates proprioceptive information to ensure robust locomotion
Creators Name:	Santuz, A., Laflamme, O.D. and Akay, T.
Abstract:	KEY POINTS: Whether brain integration of proprioceptive feedback is crucial for coping with perturbed locomotion is not clear. We showed a crucial role of the brain for responding to external perturbations and ensure robust locomotion. We used mouse genetics to remove proprioceptors and a spinal lesion model to interrupt the flow of proprioceptive information to the brain through the dorsal column in wild-type animals. Using a custom-built treadmill, we administered sudden and random mechanical perturbations to mice during walking. External perturbations affected locomotion in the wild type similar to the absence of proprioceptors in genetically modified mice. Proprioceptive feedback from muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs contributed to locomotor robustness. Wild-type mice lost the ability to respond to external perturbations after interruption of the ascending proprioceptive projection to the brainstem. ABSTRACT: Robust locomotion relies on information from proprioceptors: sensory organs that communicate the position of body parts to the spinal cord and brain. Proprioceptive circuits in the spinal cord are known to coarsely regulate locomotion in the presence of perturbations. Yet, the regulatory importance of the brain in maintaining robust locomotion remains less clear. Here, through mouse genetic studies and in vivo electrophysiology, we examined the role of the brain in integrating proprioceptive information during perturbed locomotion. The systemic removal of proprioceptors left the mice in a constantly perturbed state, similar to that observed during mechanically perturbed locomotion in the wild type and characterised by longer and less accurate synergistic activation patterns. In contrast, after surgically interrupting the ascending proprioceptive projection to the brain through the dorsal column of the spinal cord, wild-type mice showed normal walking behaviour, yet losing the ability to respond to external perturbations. Our findings provide direct evidence of a pivotal role for ascending proprioceptive information in achieving robust, safe locomotion.
Keywords:	Proprioception, Locomotion, Sensory Feedback, Muscle Synergies, Perturbations, Animals, Mice
Source:	Journal of Physiology
ISSN:	0022-3751
Publisher:	Wiley
Volume:	600
Number:	24
Page Range:	5267-5294
Date:	15 December 2022
Official Publication:	https://doi.org/10.1113/jp283181
PubMed:	View item in PubMed

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