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On the form of the internal model for reaching
C A Buneo1, J Boline, J F Soechting
1Department of Physiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA.
Experimental Brain Research
|January 1, 1995
Summary
Simulations suggest that random variability in joint torque generation, not impaired initial condition sensing, may explain deafferented patients' arm movement errors. This finding offers insights into motor control deficits.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Deafferented patients exhibit characteristic errors in arm movement direction.
- Altered feedforward control is hypothesized to underlie these motor deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate potential mechanisms causing directional arm movement errors in deafferented individuals using computational simulations.
- To evaluate the roles of initial condition sensing and internal model degradation in motor control errors.
Main Methods:
- Computational simulations were employed to model arm movement.
- Two primary hypotheses were tested: lack of initial condition compensation and degraded internal models.
- Simulations varied parameters related to joint torque generation and initial arm configuration.
Main Results:
- A simulation lacking compensation for initial arm configuration variations did not replicate the observed error patterns.
- A simulation incorporating random variability in joint torque generation produced hand paths resembling errors seen in deafferented patients.
Conclusions:
- Random variability in joint torque generation appears to be a significant factor contributing to directional arm movement errors in deafferented patients.
- The inability to sense initial conditions may not be the primary driver of these specific motor control deficits.