Project A09

Project A09 investigates the roles of two descending neural pathways connecting the cortex and the locomotor circuits in the spinal cord, the monosynaptic corticospinal and the polysynaptic cortico-striatal-spinal pathways. Using a combination of cell type-specific in vivo calcium imaging, chemogenetic manipulations, histology and dense behavioral recordings in mouse models, we will elucidate the connectivity and functions of both pathways, and their alterations in Huntington’s disease. This project will advance our understanding of descending control of spinal locomotor circuits in health and disease.