Motor control (Overview)

Authors

Affiliations

Nate Yomogida, B.S., SPT

Doctor of Physical Therapy

B.S. in Kinesiology

Chloë Kerstein, B.S., SPT

Doctor of Physical Therapy

B.A. in Neuroscience

Motor control is defined as the underlying substrates of neural, physical, and behavioral aspects of movement¹

Subtypes:

• Reactive motor control: Movements are adapted in response to ongoing feedback (e.g., muscle stretch causes an increase in muscle contraction in response to a forward weight shift)¹
• Proactive (anticipatory) motor control: Movements are adapted in advance of ongoing movements via feedforward mechanisms (e.g., the postural adjustments made in preparation for catching a heavy, large ball)¹.

Terminology

• Motor plan: an idea or plan for purposeful movement that is made up of component motor programs
• Motor program: an abstract representation that, when initiated, results in the production of a coordinated movement sequence¹
• Motor learning: a set of internal processes associated with feedback or practice leading to relatively permanent changes in the capability for motor skill¹
• Motor recovery: the reacquisition of movement skills lost through injury Schema: a set of rules, concepts, or relationships formed on the basis of experience¹
• Schema: serve to provide a basis for movement decisions and are stored in memory for the reproduction of movement¹
  • Recall schema: the relationship among past parameters, past initial conditions, and the movement outcomes produced by these combinations¹
  • Recognition schema: the relationship among past initial conditions, past movement outcomes, and the sensory consequences produced by these combinations¹
• Task analysis: a process of determining the underlying abilities and structure of a task or occupation¹
• Task organization: how the components of a task are interrelated or interdependent¹
  • Low organization: Task components are relatively independent¹.
  • High organization: Task components are highly interrelated¹.

Motor recovery

Motor recovery refers to the reacquisition of movement skills lost through injury¹.

Motor Compensation

Motor compensation differs from motor recovery since refers to changing motor plans instead of regaining old methods. Motor compensation refers to the performance of an old movement in a new manner that can be achieved through adaptive compensation or behavioral substitution¹.

References

1.

O’Sullivan SB, Schmitz TJ, eds. Improving Functional Outcomes in Physical Rehabilitation. 2nd ed. F.A. Davis Company; 2016.