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Hierarchy of Motor Control01:18

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.
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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.
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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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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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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.
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Electromechanical systems are intricate configurations that effectively combine electrical and mechanical elements to achieve a desired outcome. Central to many of these systems is the DC motor, a device that converts electrical energy into mechanical motion, enabling various applications ranging from simple fans to complex robotic mechanisms.
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Modularity for Motor Control and Motor Learning.

Andrea d'Avella1,2

  • 1Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy. andrea.davella@unime.it.

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
|December 31, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The central nervous system (CNS) uses muscle synergies for motor control and learning. Adapting to new tasks is easier when the perturbation aligns with existing muscle synergies, supporting a modular control system.

Keywords:
Coordinated recruitmentDegrees-of-freedom (DOF)Electromyography (EMG)Inverse dynamcisInverse kinematicsIterative algorithmJoint angles trajectoryMuscle synergies

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Motor Control
  • Motor Learning

Background:

  • The central nervous system (CNS) faces complex challenges in controlling multi-joint and multi-muscle movements.
  • A modular control architecture, utilizing muscle synergies, is proposed to simplify motor command generation and skill acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of modularity in motor control and learning.
  • To test the hypothesis that learning difficulty is predicted by the compatibility of perturbations with existing muscle synergies.

Main Methods:

  • Electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded from human subjects performing tasks in a virtual environment.
  • Myoelectric control was used to alter the mapping between muscle activity and simulated forces, creating task perturbations.
  • Adaptation to compatible versus incompatible perturbations was assessed.

Main Results:

  • Motor commands are generated by combining a small number of muscle synergies, supporting a modular organization.
  • Human subjects adapted more easily to perturbations compatible with their intrinsic muscle synergies.
  • Learning difficulty is influenced by the compatibility between task demands and the underlying modular control structure.

Conclusions:

  • The findings provide direct evidence for a modular organization of motor control.
  • Modularity plays a crucial role in motor learning, with compatibility influencing adaptation speed.
  • This modular framework offers insights into how the CNS simplifies complex motor tasks and learns new skills.