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Pointing movements may be produced in different frames of reference depending on the task demand.

Mohammad Ghafouri1, Philippe S Archambault, Sergei V Adamovich

  • 1Neurological Science Research Centre, Department of Physiology, University of Montreal and Research Centre, Rehabilitation Institute of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3S 2J4.

Brain Research
|February 20, 2002
PubMed
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The nervous system adapts arm movements using task-specific spatial frames of reference (FRs). It can switch between environmental and body-based FRs, demonstrating flexible motor control.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Motor Control
  • Biomechanics

Background:

  • Human movements are often guided by spatial frames of reference (FRs) specific to the task.
  • The nervous system's ability to utilize and switch between different FRs for motor control is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how the nervous system utilizes spatial frames of reference (FRs) during arm pointing movements.
  • To determine if the brain can adapt motor commands to switch between environmental and body-centered FRs.

Main Methods:

  • Participants performed fast arm pointing movements to visual targets under normal conditions and when trunk motion was unexpectedly arrested.
  • Two experiments were conducted: one with a stationary target and another with a target moving with the trunk.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Kinematic data of arm movements were analyzed, with vision of the arm and target occluded before movement onset.

    • Main Results:

    • Hand trajectories and velocity profiles remained consistent with the intended FR (environmental or body-based) even when trunk motion was unexpectedly arrested.
    • Significant adjustments in arm inter-joint coordination were observed when the environmental FR was unexpectedly perturbed.
    • Minimal changes in inter-joint coordination were noted when the body-based FR was maintained.

    Conclusions:

    • The nervous system can rapidly adapt joint-level behavior to maintain performance in either an environmental or a body-based spatial frame of reference.
    • This suggests the brain can dynamically switch between different FRs, enabling flexible and non-redundant control of multi-joint movements.