Several experiments have demonstrated that rostral segments of the vertebrate lumbar
spinal cord produce a rhythmic motor output more readily and of better quality than caudal
segments. Here we examine how this rostrocaudal gradient of rhythmogenic capability is
reflected in the spike activity of neurons in the rostral (L2) and caudal (L5) lumbar spinal
cord of the neonatal rat. The spike activity of interneurons in the ventromedial cord, a region
necessary for the production of locomotion, was recorded intracellularly with patch …

Tresch, Matthew C. and Ole Kiehn. Coding of locomotor phase in populations of neurons in
rostral and caudal segments of the neonatal rat lumbar spinal cord. J. Neurophysiol. 82:
3563–3574, 1999. Several experiments have demonstrated that rostral segments of the
vertebrate lumbar spinal cord produce a rhythmic motor output more readily and of better
quality than caudal segments. Here we examine how this rostrocaudal gradient of
rhythmogenic capability is reflected in the spike activity of neurons in the rostral (L2) and …