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Related Concept Videos

Hierarchy of Motor Control01:18

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 Pathways01:11

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 Pathways01:22

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...
Brainstem01:19

Brainstem

The brainstem, located inferior to the brain and superior to the spinal cord, serves as a bridge between the cerebrum and the spinal cord. It plays a vital role in relaying information and controlling critical life functions. It comprises three primary regions: the midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata.
The Midbrain
The midbrain is located beneath the diencephalon and connects the cerebrum with the lower parts of the brain. The cerebral peduncles are prominent midbrain structures that house the...
Motor Units01:13

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 Units00:46

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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 21, 2026

Behavioral Assessment of Manual Dexterity in Non-Human Primates
16:00

Behavioral Assessment of Manual Dexterity in Non-Human Primates

Published on: November 11, 2011

Motor planning in primates.

Daniel J Weiss1, Kate M Chapman, Jason D Wark

  • 1Department of Psychology and Program in Linguistics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA. djw21@psu.edu

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|June 16, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Innovative tool use may stem from evolutionary motor planning abilities found across primate species. Foresight in tool use is linked to anticipatory reaching behaviors observed in lemurs, tamarins, and rhesus monkeys.

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Area of Science:

  • Primate behavior
  • Evolutionary psychology
  • Cognitive neuroscience

Background:

  • Innovative tool use in primates is often linked to cognitive abilities like goal maintenance and planning.
  • The evolutionary origins of these cognitive skills, particularly in relation to tool use, remain an area of active research.
  • Understanding the foundational elements of foresight is crucial for deciphering complex behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential evolutionary basis of goal maintenance and planning in innovative tool use.
  • To explore the role of motor planning abilities as a potential foundation for foresight across primate species.
  • To examine anticipatory effects in primate reaching behaviors as evidence for the evolutionary origins of foresight in tool use.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on primate tool use, goal maintenance, and planning.
  • Comparative analysis of motor planning abilities across different primate species.
  • Examination of empirical evidence for anticipatory effects in reaching behaviors of select primate species (lemurs, tamarins, rhesus monkeys).

Main Results:

  • Suggests that motor planning abilities, common across primate species, may provide an evolutionary foundation for goal maintenance and planning.
  • Anticipatory effects observed in the reaching behaviors of lemurs, tamarins, and rhesus monkeys support the link between motor planning and foresight.
  • Highlights the potential evolutionary continuity of foresight relevant to tool use.

Conclusions:

  • Goal maintenance and planning, critical for innovative tool use, may be rooted in fundamental motor planning capacities.
  • Primate motor planning abilities offer insights into the evolutionary development of foresight, a key component of tool use.
  • Anticipatory reaching behaviors provide a comparative basis for understanding the evolution of foresight in primates.