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Dominance of local sensory signals over inter-segmental effects in a motor system: experiments

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Abstract

Legged locomotion requires that information local to one leg, and inter-segmental signals coming from the other legs are processed appropriately to establish a coordinated walking pattern. However, very little is known about the relative importance of local and inter-segmental signals when they converge upon the central pattern generators (CPGs) of different leg joints. We investigated this question on the CPG of the middle leg coxa–trochanter (CTr)-joint of the stick insect which is responsible for lifting and lowering the leg. We used a semi-intact preparation with an intact front leg stepping on a treadmill, and simultaneously stimulated load sensors of the middle leg. We found that middle leg load signals induce bursts in the middle leg depressor motoneurons (MNs). The same local load signals could also elicit rhythmic activity in the CPG of the middle leg CTr-joint when the stimulation of middle leg load sensors coincided with front leg stepping. However, the influence of front leg stepping was generally weak such that front leg stepping alone was only rarely accompanied by switching between middle leg levator and depressor MN activity. We therefore conclude that the impact of the local sensory signals on the levator–depressor motor system is stronger than the inter-segmental influence through front leg stepping.

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Author notes

  1. Anke Borgmann

    Present address: NINDS, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Str. 47b, 50674, Köln, Germany

    Anke Borgmann, Tibor I. Toth, Matthias Gruhn, Silvia Daun-Gruhn & Ansgar Büschges

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  1. Anke Borgmann
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  2. Tibor I. Toth
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  3. Matthias Gruhn
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  4. Silvia Daun-Gruhn
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  5. Ansgar Büschges
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Correspondence to Anke Borgmann.

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Silvia Daun-Gruhn and Ansgar Büschges shared senior authorship.

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Borgmann, A., Toth, T.I., Gruhn, M. et al. Dominance of local sensory signals over inter-segmental effects in a motor system: experiments. Biol Cybern 105, 399–411 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00422-012-0473-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00422-012-0473-y

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