Left-right alternation of superior colliculus activity with the stepping rhythm
- 1University of California, San Francisco
Abstract
Fluid behavior requires temporal coordination across brain systems that orchestrate movement. A clear example is locomotion, in which left and right turns are not only precisely coordinated with the ongoing stepping rhythm but occur at opposite phases of the stepping cycle. The circuits underlying this coordination remain poorly understood. We discover that neuronal activity in the mouse superior colliculus, a conserved midbrain structure involved in turning behavior, is tightly phase-locked to the stepping rhythm. Notably, neurons selective for left and right turns fire at opposite phases of the stepping cycle. Moreover, this phase opposition is already evident during straight locomotion, before the animal initiates a turn. By aligning the activity of left and right turn neurons to opposite phases of the stepping cycle, the superior colliculus may create alternating windows of opportunity for left and right turns, facilitating the seamless execution of turns during locomotion.
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BibTeX
@misc{wilhite2026leftright,
title = {{Left-right alternation of superior colliculus activity with the stepping rhythm}},
author = {C. Wilhite and L. M. Frank and M. Scanziani},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.64898/2026.08.18.745617},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.18.745617v2},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Left-right alternation of superior colliculus activity with the stepping rhythm
AU - C. Wilhite
AU - L. M. Frank
AU - M. Scanziani
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/18
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.08.18.745617
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.18.745617v2
AB - Fluid behavior requires temporal coordination across brain systems that orchestrate movement. A clear example is locomotion, in which left and right turns are not only precisely coordinated with the ongoing stepping rhythm but occur at opposite phases of the stepping cycle. The circuits underlying this coordination remain poorly understood. We discover that neuronal activity in the mouse superior colliculus, a conserved midbrain structure involved in turning behavior, is tightly phase-locked to the stepping rhythm. Notably, neurons selective for left and right turns fire at opposite phases of the stepping cycle. Moreover, this phase opposition is already evident during straight locomotion, before the animal initiates a turn. By aligning the activity of left and right turn neurons to opposite phases of the stepping cycle, the superior colliculus may create alternating windows of opportunity for left and right turns, facilitating the seamless execution of turns during locomotion.
ER -