Have you ever watched a toddler toddle on the verge of falling but correct themselves and walk? Kind of like adults walking on an icy sidewalk. Well, this is all related to the self-regulating system that actively keeps you balanced during normal walking. Magnificent coordination between sensory input, balance, and motor control of your muscles allows your body to walk and maintain upright against gravity.
Bourane et al. from the Salk Institute have successfully mapped a neural circuit involving sensory input for touch from mechanoreceptors in the skin and limbs, input from the cerebellum and cortex help mediate a reflex system involving ROR-alpha expressing interneurons in the spinal cord that help feedback onto motor neurons to regulate balance. That explanation in itself is really complex, but the study is actually quite interesting and important for teasing apart complex coordinating neural systems that help control our ability to interact with and respond to environmental cues for successful motor activities. See the link to the abstract in PubMed that describes the study published this week in Cell for more detailed information.
Identification of a spinal circuit for light touch and fine motor c... - PubMed - NCBI
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
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