The cortex as a central pattern generator

• Published in: Nature reviews. Neuroscience Vol. 6; no. 6; pp. 477 - 483
• Main Authors: Yuste, Rafael, MacLean, Jason N., Smith, Jeffrey, Lansner, Anders
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.06.2005; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Animal Genetics and Genomics; Animals; Behavioral Sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Techniques; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; cat visual-cortex; Cerebral Cortex - physiology; cortical activity; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; in-vitro; mammalian spinal-cord; Motor control and motor pathways. Reflexes. Control centers of vegetative functions. Vestibular system and equilibration; neocortex; Nerve Net - physiology; Nervous system; neural-networks; Neurobiology; Neurosciences; opinion-2; pacemaker neurons; pre-botzinger complex; respiratory rhythm generation; Somesthesis and somesthetic pathways (proprioception, exteroception, nociception); interoception; electrolocation. Sensory receptors; Spinal cord; spontaneous firing patterns; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Learning; Cerebral cortex; Spinal cord; Acquisition process; Organization; Central nervous system; Review; Central pattern generator; Encephalon
• ISSN: 1471-003X; 1471-0048; 1471-0048; 1469-3178
• DOI: 10.1038/nrn1686

Vertebrate spinal cord and brainstem central pattern generator (CPG) circuits share profound similarities with neocortical circuits. CPGs can produce meaningful functional output in the absence of sensory inputs. Neocortical circuits could be considered analogous to CPGs as they have rich spontaneous dynamics that, similar to CPGs, are powerfully modulated or engaged by sensory inputs, but can also generate output in their absence. We find compelling evidence for this argument at the anatomical, biophysical, developmental, dynamic and pathological levels of analysis. Although it is possible that cortical circuits are particularly plastic types of CPG ('learning CPGs'), we argue that present knowledge about CPGs is likely to foretell the basic principles of the organization and dynamic function of cortical circuits.