PUBLICATION

Voltage imaging identifies spinal circuits that modulate locomotor adaptation in zebrafish

Authors
Böhm, U.L., Kimura, Y., Kawashima, T., Ahrens, M.B., Higashijima, S.I., Engert, F., Cohen, A.E.
ID
ZDB-PUB-220202-37
Date
2022
Source
Neuron   110(7): 1211-1222.e4 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Ahrens, Misha, Cohen, Adam, Higashijima, Shin-ichi, Kawashima, Takashi
Keywords
V3 neurons, locomotor adaptation, spinal motor circuits, voltage imaging, zebrafish
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Locomotion/physiology
  • Motor Neurons*/physiology
  • Spinal Cord/physiology
  • Swimming
  • Zebrafish*/physiology
PubMed
35104451 Full text @ Neuron
Abstract
Motor systems must continuously adapt their output to maintain a desired trajectory. While the spinal circuits underlying rhythmic locomotion are well described, little is known about how the network modulates its output strength. A major challenge has been the difficulty of recording from spinal neurons during behavior. Here, we use voltage imaging to map the membrane potential of large populations of glutamatergic neurons throughout the spinal cord of the larval zebrafish during fictive swimming in a virtual environment. We characterized a previously undescribed subpopulation of tonic-spiking ventral V3 neurons whose spike rate correlated with swimming strength and bout length. Optogenetic activation of V3 neurons led to stronger swimming and longer bouts but did not affect tail beat frequency. Genetic ablation of V3 neurons led to reduced locomotor adaptation. The power of voltage imaging allowed us to identify V3 neurons as a critical driver of locomotor adaptation in zebrafish.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Show all Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping