M. Herbin et al., Stereotyped skeletal configurations of cervical column and rest to motion transition underly the motor repertoire in rodents., CR AC S III, 324(1), 2001, pp. 45-50
Citations number
23
Categorie Soggetti
Multidisciplinary,"Experimental Biology
Journal title
COMPTES RENDUS DE L ACADEMIE DES SCIENCES SERIE III-SCIENCES DE LA VIE-LIFE SCIENCES
During forward locomotion, guinea pigs adopted a posture which, although di
fferent, was as stereotyped as at rest. The whole extent of the vertebral c
olumn was extended, parallel to the earth-horizontal plane. This result sup
ports the hypothesis that, in mammals, gaze and postural control by the cen
tral nervous system would be simplified by the adoption of a limited number
of skeletal configurations. They would be optimized for energy saving, bio
mechanical efficacy and limitation of the number of degrees of freedom of t
he skeletal apparatus. Transition between rest and forward locomotion displ
ayed two prominent characteristics: the head was stabilized versus space th
roughout the whole transition and the modifications of the skeletal geometr
y were confined to the median plane and to two major articular regions. Suc
h an organization revealed a fourth characteristic of the guinea pig postur
al control: the skeletal configurations retained by evolution would ensure
that smooth transitions take place between rest and the various activities
of its motor repertoire. Finally, our purely descriptive data shed new ligh
t on the architecture of the neuronal network which underlies the vestibula
r control of gaze and posture. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques et medicales
Elsevier SAS.