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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...
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.
Motor Unit Stimulation01:20

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...
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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 17, 2026

The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task
10:39

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Published on: May 3, 2018

Dynamic primitives of motor behavior.

Neville Hogan1, Dagmar Sternad

  • 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. neville@mit.edu

Biological Cybernetics
|November 6, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study proposes dynamic primitives, including submovements, oscillations, and impedances, as fundamental units for sensorimotor control. These primitives simplify learning and performing complex human behaviors like tool use.

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Last Updated: May 17, 2026

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Published on: May 3, 2018

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Robotics
  • Motor Control

Background:

  • Human motor control involves complex behaviors, particularly tool use.
  • Existing models may not fully capture the neuromuscular system's constraints.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present a theory of sensorimotor control based on dynamic primitives.
  • To propose submovements, oscillations, and mechanical impedances as key primitives.
  • To explain how these primitives facilitate learning and performance of complex skills.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical framework outlining dynamic primitives as attractors.
  • Modeling of observable forces and motions through primitive combination.
  • Analysis of interactive behaviors using the proposed primitive framework.

Main Results:

  • Identified three distinct dynamic primitives: submovements, oscillations, and impedances.
  • Argued that parameterized primitives simplify learning and retention of complex skills.
  • Demonstrated how primitives combine to produce observable movements and forces.

Conclusions:

  • Dynamic primitives offer a unified framework for sensorimotor control.
  • Oscillations are proposed as a distinct primitive, separate from submovements.
  • Kinematic synergies may emerge from neuromuscular impedance rather than being fundamental primitives.