Speakers: Kyle Thomas, Amanda Jacob, and Sam Sober (Emory University; Simons-Emory International Consortium on Motor Control)

Abstract:
The brain produces an astonishing variety of behaviors by precisely coordinating the activity of thousands of motor units, the muscle fibers innervated by single motor neurons. Despite rapid progress in recording and analyzing activity in populations of neurons, our understanding of the brain's final motor output - spike trains in muscle fibers - has been limited due to the difficulty of recording motor unit spike trains during natural behaviors. We will present two in-progress studies of motor unit coordination that highlight novel electrode systems and computational techniques for quantifying how motor unit spike trains shape behavior. First, studies of motor unit activity during locomotion in mice allow us to examine the precise coordination of motor unit activity within and across muscles in a highly ordered yet extremely flexible rhythmic behavior. Second, single motor unit recordings in rat vocal muscles will allow us to examine the interface between central neural commands and the complex, nonlinear mechanics of the vocal folds during social communication.  This informal presentation will review progress to date on both projects and encourage discussion about strategies for examining muscle-level motor codes more generally.

They'll also be available for 1-1 meetings with people, DM Alice C. Mosberger if you're interested in chatting with them!

To make this an inclusive event, which can be attended by the most vulnerable in our community with minimal risk, we ask that in-person attendees wear a mask. The speakers may remove their mask during their talk but will complete a rapid antigen test shortly before the seminar. Thank you.

Location: L8.084 or Zoom: https://columbiauniversity.zoom.us/j/95734313033?pwd=TDRvWnlBdUdheEFJZHlNMmNWMzQ5UT09

Motor Club Slack Workspace:

motorclubworkspace.slack.com