Motor Control and Learning

Motor Control

Definition

"The process of initiating, directing, and grading purposeful voluntary movement". 

Theories of Motor Control 

MOTOR CONTROL THEORY	AUTHOR	DATE	PREMISE	CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
Reflex Theory	Sherrington	1906	Movement is controlled by stimulus-response.  Reflexes are basis for movement - Reflexes are combined into actions that create behavior.	Use sensory input to control motor output  Stimulate good reflexes  Inhibit undesirable (primitive) reflexes  Rely heavily on Feedback
Dynamical Systems Theory	Bernstein  Turvey  Kelso & Tuller  Thelen	1967  1977  1984  1987	Movement emerges to control degrees of freedom.  Patterns of movements self-organize within the characteristics of environmental conditions and the existing body systems of the individual.  Functional synergies are developed naturally through practice and experience and help solve the problem of coordinating multiple muscles and joint movements at once.  De-emphasize commands from CNS in controlling movement and emphasize physical explanations for movement.	Movement is an emergent property from the interaction of multiple elements.  Understand the physical & dynamic properties of the body - i.e. Velocity- important for dynamics of movement. May be good to encourage faster movement in patients to produce momentum and therefore help weak patients move with greater ease.
Hierarchical Theories	Adams	1971	Cortical centers control movement in a top-down manner throughout the nervous system.  Closed-loop Mode: Sensory feedback is needed and used to control the movement.  Voluntary movementts initiated by “Will” (higher levels). Reflexive movements dominate only after CNS damage.	Identify & prevent primitive reflexes  Reduce hyperactive stretch  Normalize tone  Facilitate “normal” movement patterns  Developmental Sequence  Recapitulation
Motor Program Theory	Schmidt	1976	Adaptive, exible motor programs (MPs) and generalized motor programs (GMPs) exist to control actions that have common characteristics.  Higher-level Motor Programs - Store rules for generating movements.	Abnormal Movement - Not just reflexive, also including abnormalities in central pattern generators or higher level motor programs.  Help patients relearn the correct rules for action  Retrain movements important to functional task  Do not just reeducate muscles in isolation
Ecological Theories	Gibson & Pick	2000	The person, the task, and the environment interact to in uence motor behavior and learning. The interaction of the person with any given environment provides perceptual information used to control movement.  The motivation to solve problems to accomplish a desired movement task goal facilitates learning.	Help patient explore multiple ways in achieving functional task → Discovering best solution for patient, given the set of limitations
Systems Model	Shumway-Cook	2007	Multiple body systems overlap to activate synergies for the production of movements that are organized around functional goals.  Considers interaction of the person with the environment.  Goal-directed Behavior - Task Orientated	Identifiable, functional tasks  Practice under a variety of conditions  Modify environmental contexts

Motor Learning

Definition

1. " The process of acquiring a skill by which the learner, through practice and assimilation, refines and makes automatic the desired movement".
2. "An internal neurologic process that results in the ability to produce a new motor task". 

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Recent Related Research (Pubmed)

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