Generating movement is essential for survival. Even simple movements like walking require precise coordination between different body parts that is not a trivial feat. Just like toddlers slowly get better at walking, motor coordination improves as the animal matures. Motor coordination is specifically disrupted in several motor diseases and spinal cord injury, yet therapy remains limited. Our lab is interested in deciphering how different muscles are coordinated for diverse movements, how this coordination is refined over development and how this coordination is disrupted in motor diseases.

In vertebrates, neurons in the spinal cord help generate movements and are modulated by inputs from the brain. We use zebrafish, a tiny, transparent vertebrate to study motor coordination. Using in vivo techniques, the Sengupta Lab aims to determine how zebrafish coordinate their fins and body during swimming and how this coordination develops. By defining functions of distinct populations in the brain and spinal cord, we aim to provide tangible targets for much needed therapy.