Head stabilization behavior and circuit mechanisms during head-up and head-down postures (IMAGE)

National Institutes of Natural Sciences

Head stabilization behavior and circuit mechanisms during head-up and head-down postures

Caption

During head-up posture, fish perform ventral flexion of the trunk to partially stabilize the head. Conversely, during head-down posture, they perform dorsal flexion to achieve head stabilization. Ventral flexion during head-up tilting is driven by the circuit shown in orange (vestibular nucleus -> reticulospinal neurons -> spinal motor neurons -> ventral specialized muscles), while dorsal flexion during head-down tilting is driven by the circuit shown in green (vestibular nucleus -> spinal motor neurons -> dorsal specialized muscles).

Credit

Shin-ichi Higashijima National Institutes of Natural Sciences Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaijicho Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787 Japan +81-564-59-5875

Usage Restrictions

Note any restrictions on use.

License

Original content

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.