TY - JOUR

T1 - Simultaneous bidirectional hindlimb locomotion in decerebrate cats

AU - Lyakhovetskii, V.

AU - Merkulyeva, N.

AU - Gorskii, O.

AU - Musienko, Pavel

N1 - Lyakhovetskii, V., Merkulyeva, N., Gorskii, O. et al. Simultaneous bidirectional hindlimb locomotion in decerebrate cats. Sci Rep 11, 3252 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82722-2

PY - 2021/12

Y1 - 2021/12

N2 - We show that epidural spinal cord stimulation can elicit stable bidirectional locomotion of decerebrate cats on a split-belt treadmill. The stepping pattern of one limb was similar to unidirectional forward walking and, the other—was similar to unidirectional backward walking. This confirms that spinal and brainstem circuitry are sufficient to control such complex and extraordinary motor tasks driven by somatosensory input. Interlimb coordination during forward and backward walking was preserved in 2 out of 4 animals during ‘extreme’ conditions when one of the treadmill belts was stopped. Bidirectional locomotion worsened but was still possible after temporary spinalization by cooling the spinal cord on a low thoracic level. These present evidence for the great degree of the automatism for this stepping mode defined by the spinal neuronal networks.

AB - We show that epidural spinal cord stimulation can elicit stable bidirectional locomotion of decerebrate cats on a split-belt treadmill. The stepping pattern of one limb was similar to unidirectional forward walking and, the other—was similar to unidirectional backward walking. This confirms that spinal and brainstem circuitry are sufficient to control such complex and extraordinary motor tasks driven by somatosensory input. Interlimb coordination during forward and backward walking was preserved in 2 out of 4 animals during ‘extreme’ conditions when one of the treadmill belts was stopped. Bidirectional locomotion worsened but was still possible after temporary spinalization by cooling the spinal cord on a low thoracic level. These present evidence for the great degree of the automatism for this stepping mode defined by the spinal neuronal networks.

KW - Central pattern generators

KW - dynamical systems

KW - neurophysiology

KW - spinal cord

KW - Male

KW - Spinal Cord/physiology

KW - Brain Stem/physiology

KW - Locomotion

KW - Walking

KW - Animals

KW - Cats/physiology

KW - Hindlimb/physiology

KW - Nerve Net/physiology

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85100558822&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/c8518e7a-a751-3fdc-9218-3b303713caf9/

U2 - 10.1038/s41598-021-82722-2

DO - 10.1038/s41598-021-82722-2

M3 - Article

C2 - 33547397

AN - SCOPUS:85100558822

VL - 11

JO - Scientific Reports

JF - Scientific Reports

SN - 2045-2322

IS - 1

M1 - 3252

ER -