page_title: Neural substrate of locomotor central pattern generators in mammals
section_title: Significant brain regions
hierarchical_section_title: Neural substrate of locomotor central pattern generators in mammals / General anatomy and physiology / Significant brain regions
caption_attribution_description: English: Main regions of the vertebrate brain, shown for a shark and a human brain (the human brain is sliced along the midline). The two brains are not on the same scale.
context_page_description: Central pattern generators are biological neural networks organized to produce any rhythmic output without requiring a rhythmic input. In mammals, locomotor CPGs are organized in the lumbar and cervical segments of the spinal cord, and are used to control rhythmic muscle output in the arms and legs. Certain areas of the brain initiate the descending neural pathways that ultimately control and modulate the CPG signals. In addition to this direct control, there exist different feedback loops that coordinate the limbs for efficient locomotion and allow for the switching of gaits under appropriate circumstances.
context_section_description: Locomotion can be initiated by pathways that originate in the caudal hindbrain and brainstem and descend to the spinal cord. These descending pathways originate in the Mesencephalic Locomotor Region (MLR) and the lateral hypothalamus. These areas project to reticulospinal neurons in the pons and medulla, which themselves project throughout the spinal cord to activate the CPGs involved in locomotion. In particular, the reticular formation in the pons plays an important role in inducing locomotion. The parapyramidal region (PPR) in the ventral medulla is also known to produce locomotion when stimulated in neonatal rats. Several different command pathways play a role in the initiation of locomotion. Neurons involved in each of these include glutamatergic, noradrenergic (NA), dopaminergic (DA), and serotonergic (5-HT) neurons.
caption: Human brain regions
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