A somewhat neglected aspect of insect neurophysiology
Journal of Experimental Biology 213: 3077-3079. (2010)
DOI: 10.1242/jeb.034918
Matheson T
Tom Matheson discusses Keir Pearson's 1972 paper entitled ‘Central programming and reflex control of walking in the cockroach’ in this JEB Classics Review.
Keir Pearson began his influential 1972 paper on cockroach walking with the statement that “a somewhat neglected aspect of insect neurophysiology is the nervous control of walking”. He then proceeded to outline a series of experiments that, together with his earlier work (Pearson and Iles, 1970), helped to shape a very large body of subsequent research that has shown how the central nervous system and sensory signals act together to control limb movements. Almost 40 years later, his 1972 paper continues to be cited four or five times a year.
