Like Tiny Drill Sergeants, Neurons Identified in Spinal Cord Coordinate Our Steps

Walking is the most natural of movements. Without thinking, we put one foot forward and then the next, on and on, propelling us forward. So, if we’re not consciously directing this complex interplay of nerves and muscles, what is?

“As one might expect, it’s the brain that initiates locomotion. But it doesn’t coordinate it,” says Columbia neuroscientist George Mentis, PhD, who investigates the circuits that control walking with an eye toward finding new treatments for patients with ALS, SMA, and spinal cord injuries.  [read more]

Source: CUIMC Newsroom