# Spinal circuits for sensorimotor integration and interlimb coordination during locomotion

> **NIH NIH R01** · DREXEL UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $337,250

## Abstract

Somatosensory feedback from the limbs is essential for locomotion and its recovery after spinal cord injury. To achieve
stable locomotion, the spinal cord needs to process afferent feedback signals and properly adjust muscle activation and
interlimb coordination. Crossed-reflex pathways, specifically, are important for gait stability and balance, which are
impaired in various motor disorders and in the elderly. Recently, significant progress has been made in decoding the
organization and function of the central spinal locomotor circuitry and its brainstem command system. But the interactions
of somatosensory feedback with the spinal circuitry during locomotion have yet to be understood on the same level of detail.
In this project we propose to address this gap of knowledge by combing mouse genetics, in vivo electrophysiology, and
behavioral analyses with computational modeling of spinal circuits and the musculoskeletal system to systematically dissect
sensory afferent connectivity to the locomotor circuitry, including genetically identified neuron populations, and their
function in interlimb coordination. Studying the organization of crossed reflexes and their interactions with spinal locomotor
circuitry will provide critical information for rehabilitative strategies. This multidisciplinary project will be performed in
close interactive collaboration between two investigators with strong and complementary expertise in computational (Simon
Danner, PI) and experimental studies of neural control of locomotion (Turgay Akay, Co-PI). The project has the following
three aims: (1) Delineate the involvement of multiple spinal interneurons in the processing of sensory information and
interlimb coordination by studying crossed reflexes at rest and during locomotion; (2) Design a predictive computational
model of the spinal locomotor circuitry and its interactions with the mouse musculoskeletal system; (3) Integrate modeling
and experimentation to uncover underlying neural mechanisms. The model will be used to derive informative predictions
that will then be tested experimentally. This process has the advantage of providing an explicit and consistent theoretical
framework for experimentation, thereby reducing the number of necessary experiments while increasing the information
gained per experiment. In summary, the proposed multidisciplinary approach is based on state-of-art experimental and
modeling methods and will provide important and novel insights into the neural organization of the spinal locomotor
circuitry responsible for sensorimotor integration and interlimb coordination during locomotion that cannot be obtained by
experimentation or modeling alone.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10436335
- **Project number:** 5R01NS115900-03
- **Recipient organization:** DREXEL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Simon Michael Danner
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $337,250
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-21 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10436335

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10436335, Spinal circuits for sensorimotor integration and interlimb coordination during locomotion (5R01NS115900-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10436335. Licensed CC0.

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