The Development of Neural Circuits in the Limb Moving Segments of the Spinal Cord

  • Lynn Landmesser
Chapter
Part of the Advances in Behavioral Biology book series (ABBI, volume 18)

Abstract

The problem of how motoneurons in the vertebrate spinal cord establish appropriate peripheral and central connections during embryogenesis has been considered with emphasis on the chick. The sequence of synapse formation in the cord does not allow one to determine whether motoneurons are intrinsically specified, or specified by the muscles with which they synapse or by other mechanisms such as position in the cord. It was shown low-ever that motoneurons grow out very selectively to the appropriate muscles from the start and that from the time that spontaneous movement begins, it is co-ordinated with reciprocal activation of antagonists, possibly mediated by reciprocal inhibitory connections. Various models for bringing about the observed connectivity are reviewed and experimental manipulations utilizing transplanted supernumerary limbs proposed that might allow one to distinguish between the different possibilities.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 1976

Authors and Affiliations

  • Lynn Landmesser
    • 1
  1. 1.Biology DepartmentYale UniversityNew HavenUSA

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