Ryusei Abo, Mei Ishikawa, Rio Shinohara, Takayuki Michikawa, Itaru Imayoshi
{"title":"Volitional and forced running ability in mice lacking intact primary motor cortex.","authors":"Ryusei Abo, Mei Ishikawa, Rio Shinohara, Takayuki Michikawa, Itaru Imayoshi","doi":"10.3389/fncir.2025.1630932","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The coordination of various brain regions achieves both volitional and forced motor control, but the role of the primary motor cortex in proficient running motor control remains unclear. This study trained mice to run at high performance (>10,000 rotations per day or >2,700 rotations per hour) using a running wheel, and then assessed the effects of the removal of bilateral cortical areas including the primary motor cortex on volitional (self-initiated) and forced (externally driven) running locomotion. The control sham-operated group revealed a quick recovery of volitional running, reaching half of the maximum daily rotation in 3.9 ± 2.6 days (<i>n</i> = 10). In contrast, the cortical injury group took a significantly longer period (7.0 ± 3.3 days, <i>n</i> = 15, <i>p</i> < 0.05) to reach half of the maximum volitional daily rotation, but recovered to preoperative levels in about two weeks. Furthermore, even 3 days after surgery to remove cortical regions, the running time on a treadmill moving at 35.3 cm/s, which is difficult for naïve mice to run on, was not significantly different from that in the sham-operated group. These results suggest that the intact primary motor cortex is not necessarily required to execute trained fast-running locomotion, but rather contributes to the spontaneity of running in mice.</p>","PeriodicalId":12498,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neural Circuits","volume":"19 ","pages":"1630932"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12391011/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Frontiers in Neural Circuits","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fncir.2025.1630932","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"NEUROSCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The coordination of various brain regions achieves both volitional and forced motor control, but the role of the primary motor cortex in proficient running motor control remains unclear. This study trained mice to run at high performance (>10,000 rotations per day or >2,700 rotations per hour) using a running wheel, and then assessed the effects of the removal of bilateral cortical areas including the primary motor cortex on volitional (self-initiated) and forced (externally driven) running locomotion. The control sham-operated group revealed a quick recovery of volitional running, reaching half of the maximum daily rotation in 3.9 ± 2.6 days (n = 10). In contrast, the cortical injury group took a significantly longer period (7.0 ± 3.3 days, n = 15, p < 0.05) to reach half of the maximum volitional daily rotation, but recovered to preoperative levels in about two weeks. Furthermore, even 3 days after surgery to remove cortical regions, the running time on a treadmill moving at 35.3 cm/s, which is difficult for naïve mice to run on, was not significantly different from that in the sham-operated group. These results suggest that the intact primary motor cortex is not necessarily required to execute trained fast-running locomotion, but rather contributes to the spontaneity of running in mice.
期刊介绍:
Frontiers in Neural Circuits publishes rigorously peer-reviewed research on the emergent properties of neural circuits - the elementary modules of the brain. Specialty Chief Editors Takao K. Hensch and Edward Ruthazer at Harvard University and McGill University respectively, are supported by an outstanding Editorial Board of international experts. This multidisciplinary open-access journal is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics and the public worldwide.
Frontiers in Neural Circuits launched in 2011 with great success and remains a "central watering hole" for research in neural circuits, serving the community worldwide to share data, ideas and inspiration. Articles revealing the anatomy, physiology, development or function of any neural circuitry in any species (from sponges to humans) are welcome. Our common thread seeks the computational strategies used by different circuits to link their structure with function (perceptual, motor, or internal), the general rules by which they operate, and how their particular designs lead to the emergence of complex properties and behaviors. Submissions focused on synaptic, cellular and connectivity principles in neural microcircuits using multidisciplinary approaches, especially newer molecular, developmental and genetic tools, are encouraged. Studies with an evolutionary perspective to better understand how circuit design and capabilities evolved to produce progressively more complex properties and behaviors are especially welcome. The journal is further interested in research revealing how plasticity shapes the structural and functional architecture of neural circuits.