New Neuroscience With Treatment Implications

This is the Medscape Neurology Minute. I'm Dr Alan Jacobs.

Researchers from the Zuckerman Institute at Columbia University in New York City have published new study^[1] analyzing the mechanisms underlying movement. They studied the mouse brain's motor cortex directing muscle movements in real time using rapid ontogenetic silencing and electrical stimulation.

The researchers found short-latency pathways linking the motor cortex with spinal motor neurons, which are selectively activated between grasping and walking. This differential influence of motor cortical activity was shown to be mediated by dramatic changes in the coordination of firing patterns across neurons.

They concluded that furthering our understanding of activity in the motor cortex will be critical to developing treatments for a wide range of diseases and injuries of movement.

This has been the Medscape Neurology Minute. I'm Dr Alan Jacobs.

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Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.

Cite this: Alan R. Jacobs. New Neuroscience With Treatment Implications - Medscape - Dec 28, 2017.