{"683415":{"#nid":"683415","#data":{"type":"event","title":"PhD Defense by Kyle Thomas","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EKyle Thomas\u003Cbr\u003EBME PhD Defense Presentation\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDate\u003C\/strong\u003E: 2025-08-15\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETime\u003C\/strong\u003E: 10 AM \u2013 11 AM\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELocation \/ Meeting Link\u003C\/strong\u003E: Whitehead Auditorium in Emory\u2019s Whitehead Biomedical Building \/ \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/emory.zoom.us\/j\/4531439090\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/emory.zoom.us\/j\/4531439090\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECommittee Members:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ESam Sober, PhD (Advisor); Megan Carey, PhD; Timothy Cope, PhD; Lena Ting, PhD; Chethan Pandarinath, PhD\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETitle\u003C\/strong\u003E: Motor unit control of mouse locomotion\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbstract:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ELocomotion relies on neuromuscular circuits that produce rhythmic activity across the limbs and body. Motor neurons within the spinal cord innervate limb muscles, causing them to contract and generate the forces that moves the body. For movements as complex as locomotion, motor units, which consist of a single motor neuron and the muscle fibers it innervates, must be coordinated within and across muscles to not only move, but also to flexibly adjust locomotor rhythm. Although it is well established that motor units modulate the force output in muscles largely through their recruitment and firing rate, it is unclear how these firing patterns, both in individual motor units and in populations of motor units, are coordinated during dynamic movements. Using novel neurotechnology that allows for high-resolution investigation of the neuromuscular system, work presented in this thesis describes the coordination of motor units during locomotion in mice across different speeds. In Chapters 1 and 2, we introduce key concepts regarding the neuromuscular control of locomotion and review literature in the field. In Chapter 3, we identify how the firing rate and recruitment probability of individual motor units correlates with not only movement speed, but also specific kinematic features of each stride. Characterizing these results across different muscles in the mouse forelimb, we highlight how muscles with shared functions may be uniquely controlled by the nervous system. In Chapter 4, we use pair-wise analyses of motor units to determine how populations of motor units are recruited and de-recruited within muscles. Motor units were recruited but not de-recruited in a systematic order, and deviations from this order were correlated with stride-by-stride changes in locomotor behavior. Taken together, these results provide evidence on how the mouse neuromuscular system coordinates robust and flexible locomotor behavior.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EGraduate Academic Office\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology and Emory University\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E313 Ferst Drive\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAtlanta, GA 30332\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ewww.bme.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMotor unit control of mouse locomotion\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Motor unit control of mouse locomotion"}],"uid":"27707","created_gmt":"2025-07-31 17:31:22","changed_gmt":"2025-07-31 17:32:10","author":"Tatianna Richardson","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2025-08-15T10:00:00-04:00","event_time_end":"2025-08-15T11:00:00-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2025-08-15T11:00:00-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2025-08-15 14:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2025-08-15 15:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2025-08-15 15:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"Whitehead Auditorium in Emory\u2019s Whitehead Biomedical Building ","extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"221981","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"100811","name":"Phd Defense"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1788","name":"Other\/Miscellaneous"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78771","name":"Public"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}