Phenotypic characterization of speed-associated gait changes in mice reveals modular organization of locomotor networks.

ABSTRACT: Studies of locomotion in mice suggest that circuits controlling the alternating between left and right limbs may have a modular organization with distinct locomotor circuits being recruited at different speeds. It is not clear, however, whether such a modular organization reflects specific behavioral outcomes expressed at different speeds of locomotion. Here, we use detailed kinematic analyses to search for signatures of a modular organization of locomotor circuits in intact and genetically modified mice moving at different speeds of locomotion. We show that wild-type mice display three distinct gaits: two alternating, walk and trot, and one synchronous, bound. Each gait is expressed in distinct ranges of speed with phenotypic inter-limb and intra-limb coordination. A fourth gait, gallop,

SUBMITTER: Bellardita C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4469368 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature