Molecular Characterization of Spinal Motor Circuits

Abstract

The spinal cord contains neural circuitry for controlling movement, but the developmental processes and cellular networks that regulate the intricate patterns of muscle activation that underlie motor behaviors are poorly understood. Sam Pfaff is known for characterizing one of the earliest examples of molecular diversification among neuronal subtypes through his analyses of the combinatorial activity of the LIM homeodomain gene family in spinal neurons. In this talk Sam will describe his lab’s recent genetic studies of spinal neurons during development, disease, and repair from injury.