Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Happy exploring!

Reply to comment

merry2e's picture

Many questions???

I had to leave a few minutes early on Thursday, so if I am asking something that was talked about, someone please fill me in!

I have been thinking about central pattern generators and would it not make sense that if they are thought to be responsible for many behaviors: walking, breathing, swallowing, that these CPG’s would be found in the parts of the brain such as the brain stem for breathing or swallowing that we know control these functions, just as the CPG for walking is found in the spinal cord?

I am a bit lost and need help with the connection of the RA loop and CPG’s…can the RA Loop initially generate a CPG and once stored, then a CPG no longer needs the RA loop? Or are we born with the CPG’s? And if we are born with these CPG’s, do they have the ability to be inherited? Have you ever noticed two family members who have a very similar gait? And you definitely know they come from the same family? Is this learned or is it already built into our storage system within the CPG?

And if CPG’s have to do with storage and memory, it seems to me that the “I” function and CPG’s have a lot to do with one another…thinking about OCD and other similar disorders, I wonder if CPG’s play a part in the repetitive nature of handwashing, etc…

Reply

To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty.
1 + 6 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.