Developmental role of DSCAM in spinal locomotor circuits.

Studying the development of spinal circuitry is essential in understanding the motor behaviors that arise from them. In their study, Thiry et al. (J Neurophysiol 115: 1338-1354, 2016) show that loss of Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule (DSCAM) leads to locomotor impairments that may stem from specific changes in spinal connectivity altering the balance of central and peripheral excitatory drive onto spinal motoneurons. These findings as well as additional insights and future directions are discussed in the context of the recent literature.