The mammalian central pattern generator for locomotion

Abstract

At the beginning of the 20th century, Thomas Graham Brown conducted experiments that after a long hiatus changed views on the neural control of locomotion. His seminal work supported by subsequent evidence generated largely from the 1960s onwards showed that across species walking, flying, and swimming are controlled largely by a neuronal network that has been referred to as the central pattern generator (CPG) for locomotion. In mammals, this caudally localized spinal cord network was found to generate the basic command signals sent to muscles of the limbs for locomotor rhythm and pattern generation. This article constitutes a comprehensive review summarizing key findings on the organization and properties of this network.