Motor control has been assigned to neural circuits located within the spinal cord. At the core of the spinal motor system are sets of local interneurons (INs) that are wired in neuronal circuits capable of controlling the activity and output of spinal motor neurons. Interneurons differ from each other by their type of afferent input, cell body positioning along the body axis, axonal trajectory and their axonal targets. Each IN expresses a defined set of transcription factors (transcriptional code) that subsequently determine its axonal trajectories and target selection. A specific axonal pathway of a neuron, governed by a transcriptional code, is manifested by the expression of receptors for guidance molecules that discern the guidance cues en route and at their putative target.

Human infants are born unable to care for themselves. Their survival and development depend on their caregivers. Early social bonding with a primary caregiver is necessary for mental and physical health and is associated with greater well-being and success in adulthood. However, to date most of what we know about the neurobiological mechanisms of mother-infant bonding comes from non-human animal models. Our scientific goal is to systematically describe neurobiological mechanisms that facilitate the complex cognitive requirements needed for human social bonding.