Spinal sensory circuits in motion

•Main channels underlying mechanosensory responses have been identified in dorsal root ganglia.•GABAergic sensory neurons were recently identified as chemo-ceptors and mechanoceptors within the vertebrate spinal cord.•Proprioceptive pathways shaping locomotion appear distributed and multimodal.

The role of sensory feedback in shaping locomotion has been long debated. Recent advances in genetics and behavior analysis revealed the importance of proprioceptive pathways in spinal circuits. The mechanisms underlying peripheral mechanosensation enabled to unravel the networks that feedback to spinal circuits in order to modulate locomotion. Sensory inputs to the vertebrate spinal cord were long thought to originate from the periphery. Recent studies challenge this view: GABAergic sensory neurons located within the spinal cord have been shown to relay mechanical and chemical information from the cerebrospinal fluid to motor circuits. Innovative approaches combining genetics, quantitative analysis of behavior and optogenetics now allow probing the contribution of these sensory feedback pathways to locomotion and recovery following spinal cord injury.