瑞士巴塞尔大学Silvia Arber研究团队绘制出前肢运动阶段在大脑皮层和延髓之间的结构和功能图谱。相关论文于2023年1月5日发表在《细胞》杂志上。

Title: Structural and functional map for forelimb movement phases between cortex and medulla

Author: Wuzhou Yang, Harsh Kanodia, Silvia Arber

Issue&Volume: 2023/01/05

Abstract: The cortex influences movement by widespread top-down projections to many nervous system regions. Skilled forelimb movements require brainstem circuitry in the medulla; however, the logic of cortical interactions with these neurons remains unexplored. Here, we reveal a fine-grained anatomical and functional map between anterior cortex (AC) and medulla in mice. Distinct cortical regions generate three-dimensional synaptic columns tiling the lateral medulla, topographically matching the dorso-ventral positions of postsynaptic neurons tuned to distinct forelimb action phases. Although medial AC (MAC) terminates ventrally and connects to forelimb-reaching-tuned neurons and its silencing impairs reaching, lateral AC (LAC) influences dorsally positioned neurons tuned to food handling, and its silencing impairs handling. Cortico-medullary neurons also extend collaterals to other subcortical structures through a segregated channel interaction logic. Our findings reveal a precise alignment between cortical location, its function, and specific forelimb-action-tuned medulla neurons, thereby clarifying interaction principles between these two key structures and beyond.

DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.12.009

Source: https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(22)01522-7