Sensory and Motor Circuits to Control Animal Behaviors

This course explores the neural circuits within the central and peripheral nervous systems that regulate animal movements and behavior. While the primary emphasis is on motor behaviors—such as locomotion and skilled movements—the course also addresses vocalization, gentle touch, pain perception, and social behaviors.
Motor control begins with movement planning in various brain regions. These plans are executed through descending motor pathways, which transmit signals from the brain to the spinal cord. Within the spinal cord, diverse populations of interneurons modulate motor neuron activity to control muscle contraction. Smooth execution of movement requires continuous sensory feedback via ascending pathways, which convey information from peripheral tissues such as muscles and skin to the central nervous system.
The course examines how different brain and spinal cord circuits contribute to movement planning, initiation, execution, speed modulation, and termination.
Special attention is also given to the role of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons in sensory processing and behavior.
In the DRG, three major types of sensory neurons are studied:
• Proprioceptive neurons, which detect body position and movement
• Nociceptive neurons, which detect pain
• Mechanoreceptive neurons, which detect touch and pressure
Finally, the course explores how motor circuits are disrupted by injury (e.g., spinal cord injury) and disease (e.g., amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS), and how recent technologies and therapeutic interventions aim to restore motor function.