Prevalence and associated factors of locomotive syndrome in young Japanese adults: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The onset of locomotive syndrome (LS) precedes that of frailty. Therefore, the first step in extending healthy life expectancy is to implement measures against LS in young adults. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of LS and its associated factors in young adults for early detection and prevention of LS. METHODS: The participants of this study comprised 413 university students specializing in health sciences (192 males and 221 females) with an average age of 19.1 ± 1.2 years. All participants voluntarily participated in the study and reported no serious health problems. The presence or absence of LS was evaluated using the stand-up test, two-step test, and the 25-question Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale. Additionally, musculoskeletal assessment (one-leg standing, squatting, shoulder elevation, and standing forward bend), body composition analysis (weight, body mass index, body fat mass, body fat percentage, skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), and phase angle), handgrip strength test, physical activity assessment, and nutritional assessment were conducted. Sex-stratified analyses were performed, comparing groups with and without LS. Factors associated with LS were explored using binomial logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the 413 young adults studied, 86 individuals (20.8%) were found to have LS. When stratified by sex, LS was observed to have a considerably higher prevalence in females (55, 24.9%) than in males (31, 16.1%). In males, the notable differences between the groups with and without LS were observed in one-leg standing and phase angle, whereas in females, differences were identified in body fat mass, body fat percentage, SMI, musculoskeletal pain, and handgrip strength. Two types of binomial logistic regression analysis revealed that the inability to perform one-leg standing was associated with LS in males, while the presence of musculoskeletal pain and a high body fat percentage were identified as factors associated with LS in females. CONCLUSIONS: One in five young adults were found to have LS in this study, underscoring the necessity for early intervention and LS health education. Furthermore, effective management of musculoskeletal pain is also crucial.

Locomotion and morphological adaptations in the glass lizard Ophiodes cf. fragilis (Raddi, 1820) (Squamata: Anguidae).

There are few studies related to the biological and ecological aspects of the glass snake, a limbless lizard and with a wide geographic distribution. The aim of this study was to analyze the locomotion mode of specimens of Ophiodes cf. fragilis in different substrates and to investigate the morphological adaptations associated with this type of behavior. We observed that the analyzed specimens presented slide-push locomotion modes and lateral undulation in different substrates, using their hind limbs to aid locomotion in three of the four substrates analyzed. The bones of the hind limbs (proximal - femur - and distal - tibia and fibula) were present and highly reduced and the femur is connected to a thin pelvic girdle. Our data support that hind limbs observed in species of this genus are reduced rather than vestigial. The costocutaneous musculature was macroscopically absent. This is the first study of locomotor behavior and morphology associated with locomotion in Ophiodes, providing important information for studies on morphological evolution in the genus.

Primacy of vision shapes behavioral strategies and neural substrates of spatial navigation in marmoset hippocampus.

The role of the hippocampus in spatial navigation has been primarily studied in nocturnal mammals, such as rats, that lack many adaptations for daylight vision. Here we demonstrate that during 3D navigation, the common marmoset, a new world primate adapted to daylight, predominantly uses rapid head-gaze shifts for visual exploration while remaining stationary. During active locomotion marmosets stabilize the head, in contrast to rats that use low-velocity head movements to scan the environment as they locomote. Pyramidal neurons in the marmoset hippocampus CA3/CA1 regions predominantly show mixed selectivity for 3D spatial view, head direction, and place. Exclusive place selectivity is scarce. Inhibitory interneurons are predominantly mixed selective for angular head velocity and translation speed. Finally, we found theta phase resetting of local field potential oscillations triggered by head-gaze shifts. Our findings indicate that marmosets adapted to their daylight ecological niche by modifying exploration/navigation strategies and their corresponding hippocampal specializations.

Higher final speed in 30-15 intermittent fitness tests correlates with soccer's locomotor demands, not heart rate responses in small-sided soccer games.

This study aimed to achieve two objectives: firstly, to analyze the relationships between aerobic fitness, as represented by the VIFT, and the heart rate and locomotor responses of youth male soccer players across various teams; and secondly, to compare players with lower and higher VIFT in terms of performance outcomes extracted during small-sided games (SSGs). A total of twenty-six youth male soccer players, aged 16.5 ± 0.32 years, with 3.4 ± 1.1 years of experience, voluntarily participated in the study. These players belonged to two regional-level tier 2 teams (trained/developmental). In the initial week of observation, the 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test was implemented to measure the final velocity (VIFT) achieved by the players. Subsequently, the 5v5 format of play was conducted twice a week over two consecutive weeks, during which heart rate responses and locomotor demands were measured. The Pearson product-moment correlation test revealed a significant correlation between VIFT and the total distance covered during the 5v5 format (r = 0.471 [95% CI: 0.093; 0.721], p = 0.015). Conversely, small and non-significant correlations were identified between VIFT and mean heart rate (r = 0.280 [95% CI: - 0.126; 0.598]; p = 0.166), VIFT and peak heart rate (r = 0.237 [95% CI: - 0.170; 0.569]; p = 0.243), as well as VIFT and high-speed running (r = 0.254 [95% CI: - 0.153; 0.580]; p = 0.211). Players with higher VIFT demonstrated a significantly greater total distance, with a large effect size (+ 6.64%; p = 0.015; d = 1.033), compared to those with lower VIFT. Our findings suggest that improved performance in VIFT may lead to covering more distance in 5v5 matches. However, the lack of significant associations between VIFT and heart rate levels during SSGs suggests that they are not strongly correlated, possibly because VIFT is more closely linked to locomotor profile. As a practical implication, coaches may consider organizing players during SSGs based on their VIFT if the goal is to standardize locomotor demands.

Finite element analysis of kangaroo astragali: A new angle on the ankle.

Using finite element analysis on the astragali of five macropodine kangaroos (extant and extinct hoppers) and three sthenurine kangaroos (extinct proposed bipedal striders) we investigate how the stresses experienced by the ankle in similarly sized kangaroos of different hypothesized/known locomotor strategy compare under different simulation scenarios, intended to represent the moment of midstance at different gaits. These tests showed a clear difference between the performance of sthenurines and macropodines with the former group experiencing lower stress in simulated bipedal strides in all species compared with hopping simulations, supporting the hypothesis that sthenurines may have utilized this gait. The Pleistocene macropodine Protemnodon also performed differently from all other species studied, showing high stresses in all simulations except for bounding. This may support the hypothesis of Protemnodon being a quadrupedal bounder.

Markerless 3D kinematics and force estimation in cheetahs.

The complex dynamics of animal manoeuvrability in the wild is extremely challenging to study. The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a perfect example: despite great interest in its unmatched speed and manoeuvrability, obtaining complete whole-body motion data from these animals remains an unsolved problem. This is especially difficult in wild cheetahs, where it is essential that the methods used are remote and do not constrain the animal's motion. In this work, we use data obtained from cheetahs in the wild to present a trajectory optimisation approach for estimating the 3D kinematics and joint torques of subjects remotely. We call this approach kinetic full trajectory estimation (K-FTE). We validate the method on a dataset comprising synchronised video and force plate data. We are able to reconstruct the 3D kinematics with an average reprojection error of 17.69 pixels (62.94% PCK using the nose-to-eye(s) length segment as a threshold), while the estimates produce an average root-mean-square error of 171.3N ( ≈ 17.16% of peak force during stride) for the estimated ground reaction force when compared against the force plate data. While the joint torques cannot be directly validated against ground truth data, as no such data is available for cheetahs, the estimated torques agree with previous studies of quadrupeds in controlled settings. These results will enable deeper insight into the study of animal locomotion in a more natural environment for both biologists and roboticists.

Large-language models facilitate discovery of the molecular signatures regulating sleep and activity.

Sleep, locomotor and social activities are essential animal behaviors, but their reciprocal relationships and underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we elicit information from a cutting-edge large-language model (LLM), generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) 3.5, which interprets 10.2-13.8% of Drosophila genes known to regulate the 3 behaviors. We develop an instrument for simultaneous video tracking of multiple moving objects, and conduct a genome-wide screen. We have identified 758 fly genes that regulate sleep and activities, including mre11 which regulates sleep only in the presence of conspecifics, and NELF-B which regulates sleep regardless of whether conspecifics are present. Based on LLM-reasoning, an educated signal web is modeled for understanding of potential relationships between its components, presenting comprehensive molecular signatures that control sleep, locomotor and social activities. This LLM-aided strategy may also be helpful for addressing other complex scientific questions.

Aging in zebrafish is associated with reduced locomotor activity and strain dependent changes in bottom dwelling and thigmotaxis.

Aging is associated with a wide range of physiological and behavioral changes in many species. Zebrafish, like humans, rodents, and birds, exhibits gradual senescence, and thus may be a useful model organism for identifying evolutionarily conserved mechanisms related to aging. Here, we compared behavior in the novel tank test of young (6-month-old) and middle aged (12-month-old) zebrafish from two strains (TL and TU) and both sexes. We find that this modest age difference results in a reduction in locomotor activity in male fish. We also found that background strain modulated the effects of age on predator avoidance behaviors related to anxiety: older female TL fish increased bottom dwelling whereas older male TU fish decreased thigmotaxis. Although there were no consistent effects of age on either short-term (within session) or long-term (next day) habituation to the novel tank, strain affected the habituation response. TL fish tended to increase their distance from the bottom of the tank whereas TU fish had no changes in bottom distance but instead tended to increase thigmotaxis. Our findings support the use of zebrafish for the study of how age affects locomotion and how genetics interacts with age and sex to alter exploratory and emotional behaviors in response to novelty.

Impacts of a Simulated Infection on the Locomotor Behavior of Invasive and Noninvasive Species of Congeneric Anurans.

AbstractLocomotion is essential for survival, but it requires resources such as energy and metabolites and therefore may conflict with other physiological processes that also demand resources, particularly expensive processes such as immunological responses. This possible trade-off may impose limits on either the magnitude of immune responses or the patterns of activity and performance. Previous studies have shown that invasive species may have a depressed immune response, allowing them to maintain locomotor function and reproduction even when sick. This may contribute to the ecological success of invasive species in colonization and dispersal. In contrast, noninvasive species tend to reduce activity as a response to infection. Here, we studied the impact of a simulated infection on locomotor performance and voluntary movement in the anurans Xenopus laevis (a globally invasive species) and Xenopus allofraseri (a noninvasive congeneric). We found that a simulated infection reduces locomotor performance in both species, with an accentuated effect on X. allofraseri. Voluntary movement was marginally different between species. Our data suggest that a simulated infection leads to behavioral depression and reduced locomotor performance in anurans and show that this effect is limited in the invasive X. laevis. Contrasting responses to an immune challenge have been reported in the few amphibian taxa analyzed to date and suggest relationships between ecology and immunology that deserve further investigation. Specifically, a depressed immune response may underlie a propension to invasion in some species. Whether this is a general trend for invasive species remains to be tested, but our data add to the growing body of work documenting depressed immune systems in invasive species.

Correlation between desynchrony of hippocampal neural activity and hyperlocomotion in the model mice of schizophrenia and therapeutic effects of aripiprazole.

AIMS: The hippocampus has been reported to be morphologically and neurochemically altered in schizophrenia (SZ). Hyperlocomotion is a characteristic SZ-associated behavioral phenotype, which is associated with dysregulated dopamine system function induced by hippocampal hyperactivity. However, the neural mechanism of hippocampus underlying hyperlocomotion remains largely unclear. METHODS: Mouse pups were injected with N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist (MK-801) or vehicle twice daily on postnatal days (PND) 7-11. In the adulthood phase, one cohort of mice underwent electrode implantation in field CA1 of the hippocampus for the recording local field potentials and spike activity. A separate cohort of mice underwent surgery to allow for calcium imaging of the hippocampus while monitoring the locomotion. Lastly, the effects of atypical antipsychotic (aripiprazole, ARI) were evaluated on hippocampal neural activity. RESULTS: We found that the hippocampal theta oscillations were enhanced in MK-801-treated mice, but the correlation coefficient between the hippocampal spiking activity and theta oscillation was reduced. Consistently, although the rate and amplitude of calcium transients of hippocampal neurons were increased, their synchrony and correlation to locomotion speed were disrupted. ARI ameliorated perturbations produced by the postnatal MK-801 treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the disruption of neural coordination may underly the neuropathological mechanism for hyperlocomotion of SZ.

Nodes for modes: nodal honeycomb metamaterial enables a soft robot with multimodal locomotion.

Soft-bodied animals, such as worms and snakes, use many muscles in different ways to traverse unstructured environments and inspire tools for accessing confined spaces. They demonstrate versatility of locomotion which is essential for adaptation to changing terrain conditions. However, replicating such versatility in untethered soft-bodied robots with multimodal locomotion capabilities have been challenging due to complex fabrication processes and limitations of soft body structures to accommodate hardware such as actuators, batteries and circuit boards. Here, we present MetaCrawler, a 3D printed metamaterial soft robot designed for multimodal and omnidirectional locomotion. Our design approach facilitated an easy fabrication process through a discrete assembly of a modular nodal honeycomb lattice with soft and hard components. A crucial benefit of the nodal honeycomb architecture is the ability of its hard components, nodes, to accommodate a distributed actuation system, comprising servomotors, control circuits, and batteries. Enabled by this distributed actuation, MetaCrawler achieves five locomotion modes: peristalsis, sidewinding, sideways translation, turn-in-place, and anguilliform. Demonstrations showcase MetaCrawler's adaptability in confined channel navigation, vertical traversing, and maze exploration. This soft robotic system holds the potential to offer easy-to-fabricate and accessible solutions for multimodal locomotion in applications such as search and rescue, pipeline inspection, and space missions.

Legged robots beyond bioinspiration.

Advances in engineering enable wheeled-legged hybrid locomotion, an achievement not feasible in biological systems.

Glutathione effect on functional and histological recovery after spinal cord injury in rats.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the GSH effect on functional and histological recovery after experimental spinal cord injury in rats. METHODS: Forty Wistar rats were subjected to spinal cord injury through the Multicenter Animal Spinal Cord Injury Study (MASCIS) Impactor system. The rats were sorted and divided into four groups, as follows: Group 1 ‒ Laminectomy and spinal cord injury; Group 2 ‒ Laminectomy, spinal cord injury and Saline Solution (SS) 0.9%; Group 3 ‒ Laminectomy, spinal cord injury, and GSH; and Group 4 ‒ lLaminectomy without spinal cord injury. GSH and SS were administered intraperitoneally. Groups 1 and 4 received no intervention. RESULTS: The rats were evaluated for locomotor function recovery at seven different times by the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) scale on days 2, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 after the spinal cord injury. On day 42, the rats were sacrificed to analyze the histological findings of the injured spinal cord. In the group submitted to GSH, our experimental study revealed better functional scores on the BBB scale, horizontal ladder scale, and cranial and caudal axon count. The differences found were statistically significant in BBB scores and axonal count analysis. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that using glutathione in experimental spinal trauma can lead to better functional recovery and improved axonal regeneration rate in Wistar rats submitted to experimental spinal cord injury.

Neuronal mechanisms regulating locomotion in adult Drosophila.

The coordinated action of multiple leg joints and muscles is required even for the simplest movements. Understanding the neuronal circuits and mechanisms that generate precise movements is essential for comprehending the neuronal basis of the locomotion and to infer the neuronal mechanisms underlying several locomotor-related diseases. Drosophila melanogaster provides an excellent model system for investigating the neuronal circuits underlying motor behaviors due to its simple nervous system and genetic accessibility. This review discusses current genetic methods for studying locomotor circuits and their function in adult Drosophila. We highlight recently identified neuronal pathways that modulate distinct forward and backward locomotion and describe the underlying neuronal control of leg swing and stance phases in freely moving flies. We also report various automated leg tracking methods to measure leg motion parameters and define inter-leg coordination, gait and locomotor speed of freely moving adult flies. Finally, we emphasize the role of leg proprioceptive signals to central motor circuits in leg coordination. Together, this review highlights the utility of adult Drosophila as a model to uncover underlying motor circuitry and the functional organization of the leg motor system that governs correct movement.

Effects of ingesting large prey on the kinematics of rectilinear locomotion in Boa constrictor.

Large and stout snakes commonly consume large prey and use rectilinear crawling; yet, whether body wall distention after feeding impairs rectilinear locomotion is poorly understood. After eating large prey (30-37% body mass), all Boa constrictor tested could perform rectilinear locomotion in the region with the food bolus despite a greatly increased distance between the ribs and the ventral skin that likely lengthens muscles relevant to propulsion. Unexpectedly, out of 11 kinematic variables, only two changed significantly (P<0.05) after feeding: cyclic changes in snake height increased by more than 1.5 times and the longitudinal movements of the ventral skin relative to the skeleton decreased by more than 25%. Additionally, cyclic changes in snake width suggest that the ribs are active and mobile during rectilinear locomotion, particularly in fed snakes, but also in unfed snakes. These kinematic changes suggest that rectilinear actuators reorient more vertically and undergo smaller longitudinal excursions following large prey ingestion, both of which likely act to reduce elongation of these muscles that may otherwise experience substantial strain.

N-cadherin directs the collective Schwann cell migration required for nerve regeneration through Slit2/3-mediated contact inhibition of locomotion.

Collective cell migration is fundamental for the development of organisms and in the adult for tissue regeneration and in pathological conditions such as cancer. Migration as a coherent group requires the maintenance of cell-cell interactions, while contact inhibition of locomotion (CIL), a local repulsive force, can propel the group forward. Here we show that the cell-cell interaction molecule, N-cadherin, regulates both adhesion and repulsion processes during Schwann cell (SC) collective migration, which is required for peripheral nerve regeneration. However, distinct from its role in cell-cell adhesion, the repulsion process is independent of N-cadherin trans-homodimerisation and the associated adherens junction complex. Rather, the extracellular domain of N-cadherin is required to present the repulsive Slit2/Slit3 signal at the cell surface. Inhibiting Slit2/Slit3 signalling inhibits CIL and subsequently collective SC migration, resulting in adherent, nonmigratory cell clusters. Moreover, analysis of ex vivo explants from mice following sciatic nerve injury showed that inhibition of Slit2 decreased SC collective migration and increased clustering of SCs within the nerve bridge. These findings provide insight into how opposing signals can mediate collective cell migration and how CIL pathways are promising targets for inhibiting pathological cell migration.

Vertical locomotion improves horizontal locomotion: effects of climbing on gait and other mobility aspects in Parkinson's disease. A secondary analysis from a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: In the Climb Up! Head Up! trial, we showed that sport climbing reduces bradykinesia, tremor, and rigidity in mildly to moderately affected participants with Parkinson's disease. This secondary analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of sport climbing on gait and functional mobility in this cohort. METHODS: Climb Up! Head Up! was a 1:1 randomized controlled trial. Forty-eight PD participants (Hoehn and Yahr stage 2-3) either participated in a 12-week, 90-min-per-week sport climbing course (intervention group) or were engaged in regular unsupervised physical activity (control group). Relevant outcome measures for this analysis were extracted from six inertial measurement units placed on the extremities, chest, and lower back, that were worn during supervised gait and functional mobility assessments before and after the intervention. Assessments included normal and fast walking, dual-tasking walking, Timed Up and Go test, Instrumented Stand and Walk test, and Five Times Sit to Stand test. RESULTS: Compared to baseline, climbing improved gait speed during normal walking by 0.09 m/s (p = 0.005) and during fast walking by 0.1 m/s. Climbing also reduced the time spent in the stance phase during fast walking by 0.03 s. Climbing improved the walking speed in the 7-m- Timed Up and Go test by 0.1 m/s (p < 0.001) and the turning speed by 0.39 s (p = 0.052), the speed in the Instrumented Stand and Walk test by 0.1 m/s (p < 0.001), and the speed in the Five Times Sit to Stand test by 2.5 s (p = 0.014). There was no effect of sport climbing on gait speed or gait variables during dual-task walking. CONCLUSIONS: Sport climbing improves gait speed during normal and fast walking, as well as functional mobility in people with Parkinson's disease. Trial registration This study was registered within the U.S. National Library of Medicine (No: NCT04569981, date of registration September 30th, 2020).

Neonatal brain inflammation enhances methamphetamine-induced reinstated behavioral sensitization in adult rats analyzed with explainable machine learning.

Neonatal brain inflammation produced by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) results in long-lasting brain dopaminergic injury and motor disturbances in adult rats. The goal of the present work is to investigate the effect of neonatal systemic LPS exposure (1 or 2 mg/kg, i.p. injection in postnatal day 5, P5, male rats)-induced dopaminergic injury to examine methamphetamine (METH)-induced behavioral sensitization as an indicator of drug addiction. On P70, subjects underwent a treatment schedule of 5 once daily subcutaneous (s.c.) administrations of METH (0.5 mg/kg) (P70-P74) to induce behavioral sensitization. Ninety-six hours following the 5th treatment of METH (P78), the rats received one dose of 0.5 mg/kg METH (s.c.) to reintroduce behavioral sensitization. Hyperlocomotion is a critical index caused by drug abuse, and METH administration has been shown to produce remarkable locomotor-enhancing effects. Therefore, a random forest model was used as the detector to extract the feature interaction patterns among the collected high-dimensional locomotor data. Our approaches identified neonatal systemic LPS exposure dose and METH-treated dates as features significantly associated with METH-induced behavioral sensitization, reinstated behavioral sensitization, and perinatal inflammation in this experimental model of drug addiction. Overall, the analysis suggests that the implementation of machine learning strategies is sensitive enough to detect interaction patterns in locomotor activity. Neonatal LPS exposure also enhanced METH-induced reduction of dopamine transporter expression and [3H]dopamine uptake, reduced mitochondrial complex I activity, and elevated interleukin-1ß and cyclooxygenase-2 concentrations in the P78 rat striatum. These results indicate that neonatal systemic LPS exposure produces a persistent dopaminergic lesion leading to a long-lasting change in the brain reward system as indicated by the enhanced METH-induced behavioral sensitization and reinstated behavioral sensitization later in life. These findings indicate that early-life brain inflammation may enhance susceptibility to drug addiction development later in life, which provides new insights for developing potential therapeutic treatments for drug addiction.

Changes in intra- and interlimb reflexes from hindlimb cutaneous afferents after staggered thoracic lateral hemisections during locomotion in cats.

When the foot dorsum contacts an obstacle during locomotion, cutaneous afferents signal central circuits to coordinate muscle activity in the four limbs. Spinal cord injury disrupts these interactions, impairing balance and interlimb coordination. We evoked cutaneous reflexes by electrically stimulating left and right superficial peroneal nerves before and after two thoracic lateral hemisections placed on opposite sides of the cord at 9- to 13-week interval in seven adult cats (4 males and 3 females). We recorded reflex responses in ten hindlimb and five forelimb muscles bilaterally. After the first (right T5-T6) and second (left T10-T11) hemisections, coordination of the fore- and hindlimbs was altered and/or became less consistent. After the second hemisection, cats required balance assistance to perform quadrupedal locomotion. Short-latency reflex responses in homonymous and crossed hindlimb muscles largely remained unaffected after staggered hemisections. However, mid- and long-latency homonymous and crossed responses in both hindlimbs occurred less frequently after staggered hemisections. In forelimb muscles, homolateral and diagonal mid- and long-latency response occurrence significantly decreased after the first and second hemisections. In all four limbs, however, when present, short-, mid- and long-latency responses maintained their phase-dependent modulation. We also observed reduced durations of short-latency inhibitory homonymous responses in left hindlimb extensors early after the first hemisection and delayed short-latency responses in the right ipsilesional hindlimb after the first hemisection. Therefore, changes in cutaneous reflex responses correlated with impaired balance/stability and interlimb coordination during locomotion after spinal cord injury. Restoring reflex transmission could be used as a biomarker to facilitate locomotor recovery. KEY POINTS: Cutaneous afferent inputs coordinate muscle activity in the four limbs during locomotion when the foot dorsum contacts an obstacle. Thoracic spinal cord injury disrupts communication between spinal locomotor centres located at cervical and lumbar levels, impairing balance and limb coordination. We investigated cutaneous reflexes during quadrupedal locomotion by electrically stimulating the superficial peroneal nerve bilaterally, before and after staggered lateral thoracic hemisections of the spinal cord in cats. We showed a loss/reduction of mid- and long-latency responses in all four limbs after staggered hemisections, which correlated with altered coordination of the fore- and hindlimbs and impaired balance. Targeting cutaneous reflex pathways projecting to the four limbs could help develop therapeutic approaches aimed at restoring transmission in ascending and descending spinal pathways.