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Cited by 270Zebrafish Biomedical Research ApplicationsMotor Control and AdaptationNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research

Continuous shifts in the active set of spinal interneurons during changes in locomotor speed

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McLean, David L, Masino, Mark A, Koh, Ingrid Y Y, Lindquist, W Brent, Fetcho, Joseph R·2008·Nature Neuroscience
DOI 10.1038/nn.2225PMC PMC2735137
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Abstract

The classic 'size principle' of motor control describes how increasingly forceful movements arise by the recruitment of motoneurons of progressively larger size and force output into the active pool. We explored the activity of pools of spinal interneurons in larval zebrafish and found that increases in swimming speed were not associated with the simple addition of cells to the active pool. Instead, the recruitment of interneurons at faster speeds was accompanied by the silencing of those driving movements at slower speeds. This silencing occurred both between and within classes of rhythmically active premotor excitatory interneurons. Thus, unlike motoneurons, there is a continuous shift in the set of cells driving the behavior, even though changes in the speed of the movements and the frequency of the motor pattern appear to be smoothly graded. We conclude that fundamentally different principles may underlie the recruitment of motoneuron and interneuron pools.

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  • In zebrafish, some excitatory spinal interneuron classes are active only during fast or only during slow swimming.

    “In zebrafish some excitatory classes of spinal interneurons are exclusively active during fast or slow swimming (McLean et al., 2008; Ritter et al., 2001).”

    From Neural control and modulation of swimming speed in the larval zebrafish (2014) · cites this paper as McLean et al., 2008

    The Results sections on MCoD inhibition and CiD activity report that MCoDs stop firing at high swimming frequencies, while dorsal CiDs are active at high frequencies and fall silent as swimming slows. But the paper describes the two classes’ activity as largely complementary, with occasional overlap, and reports that activity shifts within the CiD class. “Exclusively” overstates that pattern. (LLM, conf=0.83)

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  • Swim frequency modules likely include commissural excitatory V0v INs and commissural inhibitory INs belonging to either the dI6 or V0d populations.

    “Swim frequency modules likely include commissural excitatory V0v INs (Björnfors and El Manira, 2016; McLean et al., 2008) and commissural inhibitory INs belonging to either the dI6 or V0d populations (Satou et al., 2020).”

    From Modeling spinal locomotor circuits for movements in developing zebrafish (2021) · cites this paper as McLean et al., 2008

    The Results section on MCoD morphology describes commissural excitatory interneurons, and the Results section on their inhibition shows that they are recruited at low swimming frequencies. Our copy does not identify MCoDs as V0v interneurons, so it supports the functional and commissural description but not the specific V0v designation. The inhibitory dI6/V0d clause is attributed to a different citation. (LLM, conf=0.83)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Excitatory spinal interneurons are recruited in a dorso-ventral pattern according to locomotion intensity.

    “Like motor neurons, excitatory spinal interneurons are also recruited in a dorso-ventral pattern depending on the intensity of locomotion (Bhatt et al., 2007; McLean et al., 2007; McLean et al., 2008).”

    From Neural control and modulation of swimming speed in the larval zebrafish (2014) · cites this paper as McLean et al., 2008

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Authors
McLean, D. L., Masino, M. A., Koh, I. Y. Y., Lindquist, W. B., & Fetcho, J. R.
Affiliations
  • Cornell University (US)
  • University of Minnesota (US)
  • Stony Brook University (US)
Corresponding author
Fetcho, Joseph R
ORCID
Venue
Nature Neuroscience
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2008-11-09
Volume
11
Issue
12
Pages
1419-1429
ISSN
  • 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
  • 1546-1726
DOI
10.1038/nn.2225
PMC
PMC2735137
OpenAlex
W2152465579
Semantic Scholar
4c0b306598d598275b39e8fef42a2f77aa1498e3
Cited by
270
References
40
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 18 · 2014: 21 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 15
FWCI
7.59
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations
  • Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS26539, F32NS044728, NS44758, F32NS044758, NS44728, R37NS026539, R01NS026539)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Zebrafish Biomedical Research Applications
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
Keywords
spinal interneurons, premotor interneurons, locomotion speed, swimming, zebrafish larvae, motoneuron recruitment, size principle, active set, motor control, motoneuron pools
MeSH terms
Action Potentials, Adaptation, Physiological, Animals, Electronic Data Processing, Behavior, Animal, Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation, Electric Stimulation, Fluorescent Dyes, Interneurons, Larva, Motor Neurons, Movement, Nerve Net, Neural Inhibition, Periodicity, Quinoxalines, Recruitment, Neurophysiological, Spinal Cord, Swimming, Valine, Zebrafish, Patch-Clamp Techniques, Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists, Synaptic Potentials

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