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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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Motor Imagery Performance Through Embodied Digital Twins in a Virtual Reality-Enabled Brain-Computer Interface Environment

Motor Imagery Performance Through Embodied Digital Twins in a Virtual Reality-Enabled Brain-Computer Interface Environment

Published on: May 10, 2024

The moving phantom: motor execution or motor imagery?

Estelle Raffin¹, Pascal Giraux, Karen T Reilly

¹Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, University Jean Monnet, Saint-Etienne, France.

Cortex; a Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior

|March 15, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Amputees can differentiate between phantom limb execution and imagination. Phantom limb execution involves stump muscle activity and is slower, while imagination does not.

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Real-time Video Projection in an MRI for Characterization of Neural Correlates Associated with Mirror Therapy for Phantom Limb Pain

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Published on: April 20, 2019

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Motor Control
Phantom Limb Phenomena

Background:

Phantom limb sensations are common in amputees, often involving perceived movement.
Existing literature suggests phantom limb movements primarily reflect motor imagery, not execution.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if amputees can distinguish between executing a phantom limb movement and imagining it.
To compare phantom limb movement capabilities with intact limb movements in amputees.

Main Methods:

19 upper-limb amputees and 18 age-matched controls participated.
Participants performed timed tests of executing and imagining movements of phantom and intact limbs.
Questionnaire-based assessment of motor imagery ability was conducted.

Main Results:

Amputees successfully distinguished between motor execution and motor imagery of the phantom limb.
Phantom limb execution correlated with stump muscle activity, whereas imagery did not.
Voluntary phantom limb movement speed was reduced post-amputation, but imagined movement speed remained unchanged.

Conclusions:

The brain's predicted sensory consequences of motor commands can suffice for phantom limb movement sensation.
The distinction between imagined and executed movements is crucial for research on sensorimotor feedback's analgesic effects.