Motor System and Motor Diseases: from Molecules to Circuits

Movement is the basis for many forms of behaviors, and is tightly controlled by a hierarchical system containing cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, cerebellum, brainstem, and spinal cord. Each level of this hierarchy contributes to motor planning, motor initiation, motor execution, and motor coordination, respectively. However, they all receive continuous sensory inputs and generate accurate sensorimotor integrations that are necessary for both predictive and reflexive/servo controls of movements. The motor system contains various types of neurons with different morphological, neurochemical and electrophysiological properties, which are significantly dependent on many intracellular signaling molecules. Interestingly, these neurons are interconnected by intricate neuronal circuits for motor control, and even interacted with other non-motor systems to orchestrate somatic-nonsomatic integration. Furthermore, synaptic and neural plasticity endows motor system with amazing abilities for not only motor learning but also compensation and recovery from motor diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, ataxias, motion sickness and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, etc. Therefore, the motor system is of great importance for understanding information processing, integrative function, and neural plasticity of the central nervous system.

The aim of this Research Topic is to discuss the latest advances in our understanding of motor system, motor control, motor learning and motor diseases from molecular, cellular, synaptic, circuit, and behavioral levels, especially in an integrative perspective. Here, we welcome submissions of original articles providing novel insights into either neural mechanisms underlying motor control, motor learning and motor diseases, or new therapeutic strategies and targets for any potential treatment of motor diseases. We also encourage submissions of review articles that summarize current knowledge regarding motor system or provide insightful perspectives regarding motor system.