# Touching on locomotion: Olise Oputa Diversity Supplement_Nov 15

> **NIH NIH R01** · RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIV OF N.J. · 2022 · $44,557

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Touch receptors in skin encoding sensory modalities like vibration, indentation, and slip, are critical for adapting
the way we walk in response to changes in our environment. However, the spinal cord integration of touch
pathways to sculpt motor activity remains profoundly poorly understood. To address key conceptual and
technical challenges in this field, we have built an extensive mouse genetic toolbox to visualize, quantify and
manipulate touch-specific spinal cord circuits. In addition, we merge these powerful genetic tools with motor
assays involving high-speed cameras, computer vision, and machine learning to quantify somatosensory
behavior with unprecedented sensitivity. Combining these technologies, we identified a novel touch-specific
premotor network essential for sensorimotor function. Our overall hypothesis is that this network represents a
critical node for integrating touch and proprioceptive information to influence specific patterns of muscle groups
that facilitate both corrective movements during locomotion and motor ‘switching’ during naturalistic behaviors.
We interrogate this novel network to address fundamental questions whose answers will enable an
understanding of how touch pathways converge to shape movement. In Aims 1 and 2, we combine genetic
approaches, high-resolution synaptic analysis, slice electrophysiology, and in-vivo muscle recordings to test the
hypothesis that this network integrates multimodal sensory information to influence specific muscle responses
to sensory input. Aim 3 combines joint and muscle activity recordings to test the hypothesis that this network
shapes cutaneous responses to facilitate corrective movements during locomotion. We extend these
behavioral studies by implementing computer vision and machine learning to parse naturalistic behaviors into
sub-second movements to test the hypothesis that touch-specific premotor networks sculpt how
micro-movements are pieced together into complex motor behaviors. Mr. Oputa’s research will further the
efforts outlined in Aim 3 by combining electromyography (EMG) recordings with depth imaging of
freely moving mice by testing the specific hypothesis that distinct premotor networks control unique
and ethologically relevant movement features. Mr. Oputa’s career development plan was revised with
input from Dr. Marguerite Matthews, who provided critical insights into strengthening his neuroscience
training and development as a future physician-scientist. In sum, by understanding the final path for
movement organization (i.e., the spinal cord), his research will lead to new therapies to improve the quality of
life of people suffering from spinal cord research. Thus, this research lays the critical foundation for novel ways
of thinking about modulating spinal circuits for improving motor function.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10526729
- **Project number:** 3R01NS119268-02S2
- **Recipient organization:** RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIV OF N.J.
- **Principal Investigator:** Victoria Eugenia Guadalupe Abraira
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $44,557
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-09-30 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10526729

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10526729, Touching on locomotion: Olise Oputa Diversity Supplement_Nov 15 (3R01NS119268-02S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10526729. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*