Motor neurons generate pose-targeted movements via proprioceptive sculpting. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38509371/)

These scientists wanted to understand how motor neurons in the brain control movement, specifically in a tiny fly called Drosophila melanogaster. They found that when they activated a single motor neuron, it made the fly's head move in different directions depending on how the head was positioned to start with. This means that the head ended up in a certain position based on which motor neuron was stimulated.

The scientists created a model that showed this behavior was due to the motor neuron's activity interacting with feedback from the fly's own body. They then identified a specific type of neuron that senses the fly's body position, called a proprioceptive neuron, and found that when they suppressed this neuron, the motor neuron's effect on head movement changed.

This study suggests that the brain controls movements not by directly telling the body which way to move, but by adjusting the body's own feedback loop. In simpler terms, the brain doesn't just send commands to move, but it also listens to what the body is doing and adjusts its commands accordingly.

Gorko B., Siwanowicz I., Close K., Christoforou C., Hibbard KL., Kabra M., Lee A., Park JY., Li SY., Chen AB., Namiki S., Chen C., Tuthill JC., Bock DD., Rouault H., Branson K., Ihrke G., Huston SJ. Motor neurons generate pose-targeted movements via proprioceptive sculpting. Nature. 2024 Mar 20. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07222-5.