The aim of our research is to unravel the organization and function of neuronal circuits controlling motor behavior. Movement is the common behavioral output of all CNS activity, yet how different movement patterns emerge and are regulated at the level of precisely connected neuronal circuits in an animal is currently poorly understood. In the BoE extension of my current SNF grant, we would like to exploit how motor output pathways orchestrate the precise control of motor output regulation in the spinal cord in intact animals, and how this process is influenced by sensory feedback circuits from muscles. This work lays the foundation for a research direction addressing how these identified neuronal circuit elements respond to spinal cord injury. We are convinced that together, these experiments will help to reveal general principles governing neuronal circuit organization at the level of identified neuronal subpopulations involved in motor control, as well as determine the factors influencing motor circuit reorganization after injury.