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Hierarchy of Motor Control

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The hierarchy of motor control refers to the different levels of organization and processing involved in controlling movement in the body. These levels range from higher cortical areas involved in planning and decision-making to lower spinal cord reflexes that respond automatically to external stimuli.

Direct Motor Pathways

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The direct motor pathways, also known as the pyramidal tracts, are a group of neural pathways that originate in the brain and descend through the spinal cord. They control the voluntary movement of the body. There are two major direct motor pathways: the corticospinal and the corticobulbar tracts.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 3, 2026

The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task

The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task

Published on: May 3, 2018

Motor sequence learning and movement disorders.

¹Functional NeuroImaging Unit, University of Montreal Geriatric Institute, Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Current Opinion in Neurology

|July 9, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This review explores motor sequence learning, detailing brain changes in healthy individuals and movement disorders like Parkinson's disease. Understanding these processes can optimize skill acquisition and guide therapies for neurological conditions.

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Last Updated: Jul 3, 2026

The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Motor Control
Cognitive Psychology

Background:

Motor sequence learning involves complex psychophysiological changes and brain plasticity.
Studies in healthy individuals and patients with movement disorders provide insights into learning mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

To review recent advances in understanding motor sequence learning.
To explore psychophysiological determinants and brain plasticity.
To examine motor learning in Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and dystonia.

Main Methods:

Behavioral studies and neuroimaging in healthy participants.
Analysis of motor sequential paradigms in patient groups.
Review of studies on sleep, neural substrates, and developmental evolution of motor memory.

Main Results:

Dynamic alterations in neural networks during motor sequence learning phases.
Novel findings on the role of sleep in motor memory consolidation.
Insights into basal ganglia function and compensatory mechanisms in movement disorders.

Conclusions:

Advances enhance understanding of motor learning and brain plasticity.
Findings have implications for optimizing skill acquisition.
Results guide therapeutic strategies for movement disorder patients.