Biological neural circuit that produces rhythmic outputs in the absence of rhythmic input
Central pattern generators (CPGs) are self-organizingbiological neural circuits[1][2] that produce rhythmic outputs in the absence of rhythmic input.[3][4][5] They are the source of the tightly-coupled patterns of neural activity that drive rhythmic and stereotyped motor behaviors like walking, swimming, breathing, or chewing. The ability to function without input from higher brain areas still requires modulatory inputs, and their outputs are not fixed. Flexibility in response to sensory input is a fundamental quality of CPG-driven behavior.[3][4] To be classified as a rhythmic generator, a CPG requires:
"two or more processes that interact such that each process sequentially increases and decreases, and
that, as a result of this interaction, the system repeatedly returns to its starting condition."[3]
CPGs are found in humans and most other vertebrates, and in some invertebrates.
[6][7][8][9][10][11]
^ abCite error: The named reference Kuo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Guertin, PA. (January 2019). "Central pattern generators in the brainstem and spinal cord: an overview of basic principles, similarities and differences". Reviews in the Neurosciences. 30 (2): 107–164. doi:10.1515/revneuro-2017-0102. PMID30543520. S2CID56493287.
^Minassian, Karen; Hofstoetter, Ursula S.; Dzeladini, Florin; Guertin, Pierre A.; Ijspeert, Auke (2017). "The Human Central Pattern Generator for Locomotion: Does It Exist and Contribute to Walking?". The Neuroscientist. 23 (6): 649–663. doi:10.1177/1073858417699790. PMID28351197. S2CID33273662.