Motor neuron

Motor neurons project from the central nervous system to innervate muscle cells to either directly or indirectly control their activity. Contact between a motor neuron and muscle cell is usually via a specialized synapse called a neuromuscular junction.

Latest Research and Reviews

Research
03 November 2022 | Open Access

Motor imagery training of goal-directed reaching in relation to imagery of reaching and grasping in healthy people
- Joanna Mencel
- , Jarosław Marusiak
- & Katarzyna Kisiel-Sajewicz
Scientific Reports 12, 18610
Research | 10 October 2022

Flexible neural control of motor units

Muscle fibers have diverse properties—for example, slow and fast twitch. Groups of fibers are activated by motoneurons. Marshall et al. found that motoneurons are used flexibly, presumably allowing us to intelligently employ fibers suited to each task.
- Najja J. Marshall
- , Joshua I. Glaser
- & Mark M. Churchland
Nature Neuroscience 25, 1492-1504
Research
16 August 2022 | Open Access

Differences in motor imagery strategy change behavioral outcome
- Yuki Fukumoto
- , Marina Todo
- & Toshiaki Suzuki
Scientific Reports 12, 13868
Research
29 June 2022 | Open Access

Finger Movement Recognition via High-Density Electromyography of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Hand Muscles
- Xuhui Hu
- , Aiguo Song
- & Wentao Wei
Scientific Data 9, 373
Research
01 September 2021 | Open Access

ALS-related FUS mutations alter axon growth in motoneurons and affect HuD/ELAVL4 and FMRP activity

Maria Giovanna Garone et al. use iPSC and mouse models to evaluate a mechanistic link between aberrant axonal phenotypes in ALS and the alteration of a cross-regulatory circuitry involving three RNA binding proteins: FUS, HuD and FMRP. Their results suggest NRN1 as a potential therapeutic target for ALS and provide further insight into the pathogenesis of this critical disorder.
- Maria Giovanna Garone
- , Nicol Birsa
- & Alessandro Rosa
Communications Biology 4, 1025
Research
19 May 2021 | Open Access

Regulation of coordinated muscular relaxation in Drosophila larvae by a pattern-regulating intersegmental circuit

Patterned movements in animals are achieved through combinations of contraction and delayed relaxation of muscles. Here, the authors identify a class of cholinergic higher-order premotor interneurons that regulates muscular relaxation during backward locomotion of Drosophila larvae.
- Atsuki Hiramoto
- , Julius Jonaitis
- & Akinao Nose
Nature Communications 12, 2943

All Research & Reviews

News and Comment

News & Views | 19 October 2020

Help from peripheral macrophages in ALS?

Chiot and colleagues investigated whether peripheral macrophages play a role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) pathology, finding that macrophages along peripheral motor neuron axons react to neurodegeneration. Modifying reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling in peripheral macrophages, using bone marrow cell replacement, reduces both macrophage and microglia inflammatory response, delays pathology and increases survival in ALS mouse models.
- P. Hande Özdinler
Nature Neuroscience 23, 1311-1312
Research Highlights | 29 March 2019

Filtering out the noise in axon guidance

An intracellular molecule acts in a context-dependent manner to suppress responses to irrelevant guidance cues during axon development.
- Katherine Whalley
Nature Reviews Neuroscience 20, 250-251
News & Views | 10 February 2017

Neuroengineering: Deciphering neural drive

Decoding the firing of individual spinal motor neurons enables the offline control of prosthetic limbs.
- Max Ortiz-Catalan
Nature Biomedical Engineering 1, 0034
Research Highlights | 26 November 2015

Redirecting regeneration

In zebrafish, components of the extracellular matrix help to direct regenerating motor axons to their original targets.
- Natasha Bray
Nature Reviews Neuroscience 17, 3
Research Highlights | 29 January 2015

Selective vulnerability

The subtype of motor neurons that is most likely to degenerate early in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is prone to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in mice, owing to low levels of SIL1, an ER-associated protein.
- Fiona Carr
Nature Reviews Neuroscience 16, 123
Research Highlights | 20 January 2015

Switching sides
- Sian Lewis
Nature Reviews Neuroscience 16, 68