Dr Gregory Pearcey - Decoding motoneuron firing to illuminate diversity in human movement control

IAS Visiting Fellow Dr Gregory Pearcey delivers a seminar on their research -

Movement is fundamental for human life, yet little is known about the neural code of human movement. Due to their direct connection to muscle fibres, which collectively form the motor unit, alpha motoneurons are the only cells in the central nervous system that can be routinely recorded in humans. Until recently, it was quite difficult to examine motoneurons in humans due to the invasive procedures required to sample their behaviour. Now, we can routinely record tens of motor units at a time, which has provided us with incredible insights into the diversity in motoneuron properties innervating functionally distinct muscles in humans across the lifespan (i.e., ageing), between the sexes and in response to fluctuations in sex hormones, and in people with motor impairments (i.e., stroke, SCI, etc.). These insights have provided important guiding information required to rapidly advance therapeutic interventions, such as acute intermittent hypoxia.

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