Neurobiology of Motor Control in Insects

Abstract

What is the neural process that regulates the march? How the nervous system physiology and architecture affect the organism when it´s decide to navigate through the world? For living beings, everything starts with a single step; in this small process, the organisms break the inertia, one of the main forces that bind them to the earth. This first step gives rise to a dance, composed of a series of finely coordinated and orchestrated events in which the animal is able to integrate external and internal elements in order to move in a stable way. The march of living beings reflects a long evolutionary history, which leads to the construction and adaptation of a series of structures. This review use insects as models, to explain some of the fundamental neuronal elements needed to understand the process of walking. The insects share neural mechanisms of motor control with a large number of organisms, including mammals. We will review those elements that allow insects to coordinate their steps through a series of surfaces and at different speeds without stumbling, trying to explain those processes that have led a series of scientists to follow their steps.