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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.

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...

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 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.

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the posterior columns...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Asymmetric Walkway: A Novel Behavioral Assay for Studying Asymmetric Locomotion

Asymmetric Walkway: A Novel Behavioral Assay for Studying Asymmetric Locomotion

Published on: January 15, 2016

Locomotor body scheme.

Y P Ivanenko¹, N Dominici, E Daprati

¹Department of Neuromotor Physiology, Santa Lucia Foundation, via Ardeatina 306, 00179 Rome, Italy. y.ivanenko@hsantalucia.it

Human Movement Science

|April 2, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study explores how the body schema influences limb movement control. Findings suggest a dynamic locomotor body schema aids in estimating step length and walking distance.

More Related Videos

Sit-to-stand-and-walk from 120% Knee Height: A Novel Approach to Assess Dynamic Postural Control Independent of Lead-limb

Sit-to-stand-and-walk from 120% Knee Height: A Novel Approach to Assess Dynamic Postural Control Independent of Lead-limb

Published on: August 30, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Asymmetric Walkway: A Novel Behavioral Assay for Studying Asymmetric Locomotion

Asymmetric Walkway: A Novel Behavioral Assay for Studying Asymmetric Locomotion

Published on: January 15, 2016

Sit-to-stand-and-walk from 120% Knee Height: A Novel Approach to Assess Dynamic Postural Control Independent of Lead-limb

Sit-to-stand-and-walk from 120% Knee Height: A Novel Approach to Assess Dynamic Postural Control Independent of Lead-limb

Published on: August 30, 2016

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Biomechanics
Motor Control

Background:

The body schema concept explains distortions in body and space representation.
Proprioceptive information processing differs between static and dynamic conditions.
Dynamic conditions involve specific control rules and constraints.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate the role of body schema in multi-joint limb motion control.
Examine how dynamic limb movement perception relies on prior knowledge.
Propose the existence of a dynamic locomotor body schema.

Main Methods:

Analysis of proprioceptive information processing during dynamic limb movements.
Investigating the relationship between gait parameters and body proportions.
Theoretical framework integrating body schema with motor control.

Main Results:

Perception of movement, like step length and walking distance, relies on intrinsic limb dynamics.
A priori knowledge of limb motion and body proportions is crucial for accurate movement estimation.
Evidence supports the existence of a dynamic locomotor body schema.

Conclusions:

A dynamic locomotor body schema is essential for controlling step length and path estimation.
This schema integrates proprioceptive, dynamic, and kinematic information.
Understanding the dynamic body schema advances theories of motor control and spatial representation.