Simon Gosgnach

Associate Professor 
Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Physiology
PhD, University of Manitoba 

Laboratory: 3-108 Katz Building
Email address: gosgnach@ualberta.ca 

 

Research Interests / Academic Activities

My laboratory is focussed on deciphering the structure and mechanism of function of the neural network responsible for producing walking movements in mammals (i.e. the locomotor CPG). A CPG was first postulated to control locomotor behavior of mammals a century ago. Much of the ongoing research attempting to promote functional regeneration following spinal cord injury has involved attempts to restore connections across the injury site to the locomotor CPG, so as to take advantage of its rhythm generating capacity. Clearly, a detailed characterization of the interneurons that comprise the locomotor CPG, and an understanding of how they are activated and interconnect as a network will benefit the development of therapies aimed at enhancing functional recovery after spinal cord injury.

Current work in my laboratory incorporates electrophysiological and imaging approaches to identify neurons that are activated by defending systems known to initiate activity in the locomotor CPG. We are also using anatomical tracing approaches to decipher the connectivity amongst interneuron populations with defined roles in locomotor activity.

 

Select Publications

  1. Rancic V, Ballanyi K, Gosgnach S. (2021). Mapping the Dynamic Recruitment of Spinal Neurons during Fictive Locomotion. J Neurosci. 40:9692-9700.
  2. Karadimas SK, Satkunendrarajah K, Laliberte AM, Ringuette D, Weisspapir I, Li L, Gosgnach S, Fehlings MG. (2020). Sensory cortical control of movement. Nature Neurosci. 23:75-84.
  3. Haque F, Gosgnach S. (2019). Mapping Connectivity Amongst Interneuronal Components of the Locomotor CPG. Front Cell Neurosci. 13:443.
  4. Rancic V, Haque F, Ballanyi K, Gosgnach S. (2019). Using an upright preparation to identify and characterize locomotor related neurons across the transverse plane of the neonatal mouse spinal cord. J Neurosci Methods. 323:90-97.
  5. Haque F, Rancic V, Zhang W, Clugston R, Ballanyi K, Gosgnach S. (2019). WT1-Expressing Interneurons Regulate Left-Right Alternation during Mammalian Locomotor Activity. J Neurosci. 38(25):5666-5676.
  6. Gosgnach S, Bikoff JB, Dougherty KJ, El Manira A, Lanuza GM, Zhang Y. (2017). Delineating the Diversity of Spinal Interneurons in Locomotor Circuits. J Neurosci. 37:10835-10841.
  7. Griener A, Zhang W, Kao H, Wagner C, Gosgnach S. (2015). Probing diversity within subpopulations of locomotor-related V0 interneurons. Dev Neurobiol. 75:1189-1203.
  8. Britz O, Zhang J, Grossmann KS, Dyck J, Kim JC, Dymecki S, Gosgnach S, Goulding M. (2015). A genetically defined asymmetry underlies the inhibitory control of flexor-extensor locomotor movements. Elife. 10.7554/eLife.04718.
  9. Dyck, J. Lanuza, GM, Gosgnach, S. (2012). Functional characterization of dI6 interneurons in the neonatal mouse spinal cord. J Neurophysiol. 107:3256-3266.

 

Laboratory Members

Vladimir Rancic - Research Associate
Jun Ren - Research Associate