This chapter begins by defining central pattern generators (CPGs) and proceeds to focus on one of their core components, the timing circuit. After arguing why invertebrate CPGs are particularly useful for the study of neuronal circuit operation in general, the bulk of the chapter then describes basic mechanisms of CPG operation at the cellular, synaptic, and network levels, and how different CPGs combine these mechanisms in various ways. Finally, the chapter takes a semihistorical perspective to discuss whether or not the study of invertebrate CPGs has seen its prime and what it has contributed—and may continue to offer—to a wider understanding of neuronal circuits in general.
