Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

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...

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex....

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...

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at...

Motor Unit Stimulation

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Striatum-wide dopamine encodes trajectory errors separated from value.

Nature·2026

Same author

MIMIC-MJX: Neuromechanical Emulation of Animal Behavior.

ArXiv·2025

Same author

Differential kinematic coding in sensorimotor striatum across behavioral domains reflects different contributions to movement.

Nature neuroscience·2025

Same author

Author Correction: A virtual rodent predicts the structure of neural activity across behaviours.

Nature·2025

Same author

Mapping the landscape of social behavior.

Cell·2025

Same author

The role of motor cortex in motor sequence execution depends on demands for flexibility.

Nature neuroscience·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 16, 2025

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

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

Published on: May 3, 2018

Motor cortex is required for flexible but not automatic motor sequences.

Kevin G C Mizes^1,2, Jack Lindsey³, G Sean Escola^3,4

¹Program in Biophysics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.

Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology

|September 21, 2023

Summary

The motor cortex is crucial for flexible, cue-guided actions but not for isolated, automatic sequences. Practicing automatic sequences with flexible tasks makes them motor cortex-dependent.

More Related Videos

In Vivo Wireless Optogenetic Control of Skilled Motor Behavior

In Vivo Wireless Optogenetic Control of Skilled Motor Behavior

Published on: November 22, 2021

Force and Position Control in Humans - The Role of Augmented Feedback

Force and Position Control in Humans - The Role of Augmented Feedback

Published on: June 19, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 16, 2025

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

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

Published on: May 3, 2018

In Vivo Wireless Optogenetic Control of Skilled Motor Behavior

In Vivo Wireless Optogenetic Control of Skilled Motor Behavior

Published on: November 22, 2021

Force and Position Control in Humans - The Role of Augmented Feedback

Force and Position Control in Humans - The Role of Augmented Feedback

Published on: June 19, 2016

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Motor Control

Background:

The precise role of the motor cortex in executing motor sequences remains debated.
Studies present conflicting evidence regarding its necessity for automatic versus flexible sequences.

Approach:

Rats were trained on three-element motor sequences using either overtraining for automatic execution or visual cues for flexible control.
Motor cortex lesions were performed to assess its necessity in both conditions.
A neural network model was employed to elucidate underlying circuit mechanisms.

Key Points:

Motor cortex is essential for flexible, cue-driven sequences but dispensable for isolated, automatic sequences.
Automatic sequences become motor cortex-dependent when trained concurrently with flexible tasks.
This suggests that flexible task contexts interfere with the subcortical consolidation of automatic sequences.

Conclusions:

Motor cortex engagement in motor sequence execution is contingent upon task demands.
Findings reconcile conflicting views by defining conditions under which the motor cortex is engaged and its functions.
This research clarifies the motor cortex's role in motor sequence generation and consolidation.