A switchboard with precision: How the brain licenses movements

SNr neurons in the midbrain send precise signals to control movement. Their activity determines which movements actions are initiated or inhibited. (Image: Biozentrum, University of Basel)

SNr neurons in the midbrain send precise signals to control movement. Their activity determines which movements actions are initiated or inhibited. (Image: Biozentrum, University of Basel)

Neurons deep in the brain not only help to initiate movement—they also actively suppress it, and with astonishing precision. This is the conclusion of a new study by researchers at the University of Basel and the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), published in the journal Nature. The findings are especially relevant for better understanding neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. More