Biology subjects

Roome, R. B.

Publications and source records attributed to Roome, R. B..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

A spinal substrate for modular control of natural behavior

Natural behavior unfolds as coordinated sequences of body movements. This organization suggests that behavior may be built from discrete motor patterns, yet how such arrangements are implemented by neural circuits remains unknown. Here, we combined kinematic analysis, muscle recordings, genetically identified cell types, and closed-loop optogenetic perturbations to examine the organizational logic of natural gap-crossing jumps in mice. Jumping was characterized by a series of precisely defined phases and their associated modular motor patterns. The core phases, propulsion and flight, exhibited distinct signatures of neural control, including unique bursts of coordinated hindlimb muscle activity, differential tuning strategies for jump distance, and active requirements for spinal neural drive. Mapping activity across lumbar interneuron populations and functionally screening candidate cell types for their ability to drive coordinated movement revealed that a population of dorsal excitatory dILB6 neurons can autonomously evoke coordinated multi-joint hindlimb flexion characteristic of the jumping flight phase, across behavioral contexts. These findings provide a specific cellular substrate for the long-standing concept of spinal modular motor control: a flexible, preconfigured motor template that the mammalian CNS can recruit and modulate to meet the demands of natural behavior. Highlights- Jumping behavior is organized into discrete phases with stereotyped motor patterns - Each phase contains a distinct signature of body-wide, joint, and muscle coordination - dILB6 spinal interneurons autonomously evoke a triple-flexion hindlimb motor module - dILB6 neurons can shape active jumping behavior

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Teneurin-3 and latrophilin-2 are required for somatotopic map formation and somatosensory topognosis

Somatotopy is a recurring organisational feature of the somatosensory system where adjacent neurons and their connections represent adjacent regions of the body. The molecular mechanisms governing the formation of such "body maps" remain largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that the cell surface proteins teneurin-3 and latrophilin-2 are expressed in opposing gradients aligning with the somatotopic map in the dorsal horn of the mouse spinal cord. Genetic manipulation of these proteins in spinal dorsal horn or sensory neurons distorts the somatotopy of neuronal connections and impairs accurate localisation of a noxious stimulus on the surface of the body. Our work provides the foundation for a molecular model of somatotopic map formation and insights into the role of somatotopic maps in the ability to accurately locate somatosensory stimuli or topognosis.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Ontogeny of the spinal cord dorsal horn

The dorsal horn of the mammalian spinal cord is an exquisite example of form serving function. It is comprised of diverse neuronal populations stacked into laminae, each of which receives different circuit connections and plays specialized roles in behavior. An outstanding question is how this organization emerges during development from an apparently homogeneous pool of neural progenitors. Here, we found that dorsal neurons are diversified by time, with families of related cell types born as temporal cohorts, and by a spatial-molecular gradient that specifies the full array of individual cell types. Excitatory dorsal neurons then settle in a chronotopic arrangement that transforms their progressive birthdates into anatomical order. This establishes the dorsal horn laminae, as these neurons are also required for spatial organization of inhibitory neurons and sensory axons. This work reveals essential ontogenetic principles that shape dorsal progenitors into the diverse cell types and architecture that subserve sensorimotor behavior. Highlights- Temporal cohorts of late-born dorsal neurons give rise to neuronal families - Sequentially-born excitatory neuron families form adjacent laminae - Laminar structure specifically requires excitatory (but not inhibitory or sensory) neurons - Graded expression of Zic transcription factors directs fine neuronal identity

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Phox2a defines a developmental origin of the anterolateral system in mice and humans

Anterolateral system neurons relay pain, itch and temperature information from the spinal cord to pain-related brain regions, but the differentiation of these neurons and their specific contribution to pain perception remain poorly defined. Here, we show that virtually all mouse spinal neurons that embryonically express the autonomic system-associated Paired-like homeobox 2A (Phox2a) transcription factor innervate nociceptive brain targets, including the parabrachial nucleus and the thalamus. We define Phox2a anterolateral system neuron birth order, migration and differentiation, and uncover an essential role for Phox2a in the development of relay of nociceptive signals from the spinal cord to the brain. Finally, we also demonstrate that the molecular identity of Phox2a neurons is conserved in the human foetal spinal cord. The developmental expression of Phox2a as a uniting feature of anterolateral system neurons suggests a link between nociception and autonomic nervous system function.

neuroscience↗