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Hierarchy of Motor Control

Hierarchy of Motor Control

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.

Motor Units

Motor Units

A motor unit consists of two main components: a single efferent motor neuron (i.e., a neuron that carries impulses away from the central nervous system) and all of the muscle fibers it innervates. The motor neuron may innervate multiple muscle fibers, which are single cells, but only one motor neuron innervates a single muscle fiber.

Motor Units

Motor Units

The motor unit is a fundamental component of the neuromuscular system and plays a crucial role in coordinating muscle contractions. It consists of a somatic motor neuron, which connects and controls multiple skeletal muscle fibers, forming a single functional segment. The axon of the motor neuron branches out and establishes synaptic connections known as neuromuscular junctions with individual muscle fibers within the motor unit.
Motor units come in different sizes, with smaller units...

Motor Unit Stimulation

Motor Unit Stimulation

When the neuron of a motor unit fires an action potential, it triggers a series of events, leading to a twitch contraction in the muscle fibers. The process of excitation-contraction coupling is crucial in relaying the action potential to the muscle fibers.
The latent period of contraction marks the onset of excitation-contraction coupling, when the action potential propagates across the sarcolemma, preparing the muscle fibers for contraction. As the fibers enter the contraction phase, the...

Direct Motor Pathways

Direct Motor Pathways

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.
The corticospinal tract is responsible for the voluntary movement of the limbs and trunk. It originates in the cerebral cortex of the brain and descends through the cerebrum's internal capsule and the...

Indirect Motor Pathways

Indirect Motor Pathways

The indirect motor or extrapyramidal pathways originate in the brainstem, the lower portion of the brain that connects it to the spinal cord. They consist of several distinct tracts, each with specialized functions. The four main tracts of the indirect motor pathways are the vestibulospinal tract, the reticulospinal tract, the tectospinal tract, and the rubrospinal tract.
The vestibulospinal tract originates in the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. The vestibular system detects changes in...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 25, 2026

A Method for Evaluating Timeliness and Accuracy of Volitional Motor Responses to Vibrotactile Stimuli

A Method for Evaluating Timeliness and Accuracy of Volitional Motor Responses to Vibrotactile Stimuli

Published on: August 2, 2016

Current status of the motor program: revisited.

Jeffery J Summers¹, J Greg Anson

¹Human Motor Control Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 30, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia. Jeff.Summers@utas.edu.au

Human Movement Science

|February 24, 2009

Summary

The motor program concept in motor control remains debated, though its theoretical existence is widely accepted across disciplines. Future research using brain imaging may clarify its literal or metaphorical nature.

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Area of Science:

Motor control
Neuroscience
Movement science

Background:

The motor program concept significantly influences motor control theories but lacks a clear consensus on its definition and function.
A 1994 review suggested the term might hinder progress in physical therapy.
This paper re-evaluates the motor program concept thirteen years after the initial review.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the evolution and current standing of the motor program concept in scientific literature.
To assess the consensus on the theoretical existence and role of motor programs in movement organization.

Main Methods:

Literature review of research published in experimental psychology, movement science, and neurophysiology.
Analysis of the usage and interpretation of the 'motor program' term over thirteen years.

Main Results:

The term 'motor program' continues to be used inconsistently across studies.
Despite varied usage, the theoretical existence of motor programs is generally accepted by researchers.
Advancements in brain imaging techniques offer new avenues for investigation.

Conclusions:

The motor program concept, while debated, is a generally accepted theoretical construct in motor control research.
Further investigation, particularly with neuroimaging, is needed to determine if motor programs represent a literal or metaphorical concept.