23/03 – Niccolo ZAMPIERI : The functional organization of spinal sensory-motor circuits

SPPIN’s webinar winter-spring 2021, 23 Mar. at 10h30, online – Ask link to a SPPIN member.

Niccolo ZAMPIERI, Max-Delbrück-Centrum für Molekulare Medizin (MDC), Berlin

The functional organization of spinal sensory-motor circuits

I am interested in understanding the logic and molecular mechanisms that control assembly and function of neural circuits. My laboratory approaches this general problem using as a model the sensory-motor system in the mouse spinal cord, which comprise relatively simple circuits that are genetically and anatomically accessible. We seek to reveal how these circuits are first organized during development and then function in controlling locomotion and processing of somatosensory information. In order to tackle these questions, we combine mouse genetics, viral tracing techniques with functional and behavioral experiments. The seminar will focus on two projects, the first aimed at understanding spinal circuits controlling coordination of limb movements and the second exploring muscle-identity of  proprioceptive neurons subtypes and the molecular mechanisms controlling their connectivity.