The goal of this project is to further our understanding of the ontogeny of coordinated motor behaviors. This study will focus on the leg movements during embryonic motility in chicks. Synchronized EMG and kinematic recordings will be used to quantitatively characterize normal embryonic motor behavior. Comparisons of the different types of embryonic motility as well as the alterations within a given type of behavior during development will be made. These results will further our understanding of the underlying neural mechanisms that generate these behaviors. The role of sensory input in the development and control of embryonic motility will also be explored. These results will provide information on the similarities and differences between the mechanisms that generate pre- and posthatching motor behaviors in chicks. It will also provide insights into how sensory stimuli during embryogenesis affects proper motor development of vertebrates in general.
| Sharp, Andrew A; Bekoff, Anne (2015) Pyridoxine treatment alters embryonic motility in chicks: Implications for the role of proprioception. Dev Psychobiol 57:271-7 |
| Sharp, A A; Ma, E; Bekoff, A (1999) Developmental changes in leg coordination of the chick at embryonic days 9, 11, and 13: uncoupling of ankle movements. J Neurophysiol 82:2406-14 |
