Phase-Dependent Response to Afferent Stimulation During Fictive Locomotion: A Computational Modeling Study

Central pattern generators (CPGs) in the spinal cord generate rhythmic neural activity and control locomotion in vertebrates. These CPGs operate under the control of sensory feedback that affects the generated locomotor pattern and adapt it to the animal's biomechanics and environment. Studies of the effects of afferent stimulation on fictive locomotion in immobilized cats have shown that brief stimulation of peripheral nerves can reset the ongoing locomotor rhythm. Depending on the phase of stimulation and the stimulated nerve, the applied stimulation can either shorten or prolong the current locomotor phase and the locomotor cycle. Here, we used a mathematical model of a half-center CPG to investigate the phase-dependent effects of brief stimulation applied to CPG on the CPG-generated locomotor oscillations. The CPG in the model consisted of two half-centers mutually inhibiting each other. The rhythmic activity in each half-center was based on a slowly inactivating, persistent sodium current. Brief stimulation was applied to CPG half-centers in different phases of the locomotor cycle to produce phase-dependent changes in CPG activity. The model reproduced several results from experiments on the effect of afferent stimulation of fictive locomotion in cats. The mechanisms of locomotor rhythm resetting under different conditions were analyzed using dynamic systems theory methods.