Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.09.15.298281v1?rss=1 Authors: Shevtsova, N. A., Ha, N. T., Rybak, I. A., Dougherty, K. J. Abstract: The mechanisms involved in generation of rhythmic locomotor activity in the mammalian spinal cord remain poorly understood. These mechanisms supposedly rely on both intrinsic properties of constituting neurons and interactions between them. A subset of Shox2 neurons was found to contribute to generation of spinal locomotor activity. The preceding study (Ha and Dougherty, 2018) revealed the presence of bidirectional electrical coupling between these neurons in neonatal spinal cords, which can be critically involved in neuronal synchronization and generation of populational bursting. Gap junctional connections found between functionally-related Shox2 interneurons decrease with age, possibly being replaced by increasing interactions through chemical synapses. Here, we developed a computational model of a population of these neurons sparsely connected by electrical or/and chemical synapses and investigated the dependence of frequency of populational bursting on the type and strength of neuronal interconnections. The model provides important insights into the mechanisms of the locomotor rhythm generation. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info