Probing the locomotor conundrum : descending the 'V' interneuron ladder

The assembly of neuronal circuits involved in locomotor control in the mammalian spinal cord is influenced by genetic programs specifying four ventral (V) interneuron populations (V0-V3). In this issue of Neuron, Crone et al. and Zhang et al. make use of genetic tools to map connectivity patterns and to abolish the function of V2a and V3 interneurons. The absence of V2a interneurons reveals defects in left-right alternation during locomotion, whereas ablation of either V2a or V3 interneurons leads to disturbances in the precision and reliability of the motor output.