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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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A Gaze-Contingent Display Framework for Perceptual Learning Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss

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Development of visual control in stepping down.

Dorothy Cowie¹, Janette Atkinson, Oliver Braddick

¹Sobell Department, Institute of Neurology, University College London, 33 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK. d.cowie@ion.ucl.ac.uk

Experimental Brain Research

|December 30, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Children

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Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Published on: April 16, 2014

Area of Science:

Human locomotion
Developmental motor control
Visuomotor processes

Background:

Stepping down stairs is a fundamental human locomotion skill.
Accurate stepping requires transforming visual depth information into precise movements.
The developmental trajectory of this visuomotor process is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how children and adults visually control stepping down stairs of varying heights.
To determine the developmental age at which visuomotor control for stepping becomes robust.
To assess the reliance on visual feedback for precise stepping movements.

Main Methods:

Kinematic analysis of stepping down a single stair of variable height in adults, 3-year-olds, and 4-year-olds.
Measurements included kneedrop, toedrop, and toeheight (speedpeak) under normal vision and with eyes closed.
Comparison of movement scaling to stair height across age groups and visual conditions.

Main Results:

Both children and adults scaled stepping movements to stair height under normal visual conditions.
Adults' stepping was minimally affected by removing visual feedback.
3- and 4-year-olds showed reduced scaling of specific kinematic measures when visual feedback was removed, with 3-year-olds exhibiting greater deficits.

Conclusions:

Visuomotor processes for fine-tuned stepping control develop early in childhood.
These early visuomotor skills are initially dependent on visual feedback.
Further development refines the ability to step accurately with reduced reliance on immediate visual input.