Understanding Motor Control

• Motor control involves the brain and nervous system working together
• These systems plan, coordinate, and execute movements
• Sensory information, muscle activation, and feedback loops work in harmony for movement
• This results in smooth, efficient motion

Importance of Motor Control

• Movement coordination allows everyday activities like walking, typing, and speaking
• Muscle coordination ensures correct muscle engagement and timing
• Balance and posture stabilize the body during movement, preventing injuries
• Adaptation to the environment helps in adjusting movements based on sensory input

Three Key Stages of Motor Control

Sensory Input

• Sensory receptors in the body detect stimuli such as touch, temperature, and body position
• Signals are sent to the brain for processing

Central Processing

• The central nervous system processes sensory data
• Sensory inputs are integrated to make decisions about motor responses
• Involves planning motor actions, coordinating, and timing movements

Motor output

• The brain sends motor commands through the peripheral nervous system to muscles
• Results in movement
• Motor neurons transmit the commands

Sensory Receptors

• Mechanoceptors detect mechanical changes like pressure and vibration
• Thermoreceptors detect temperature changes
• Nociceptors detect pain and tissue damage
• Photoreceptors, in the eyes, detect light for visual processing
• Chemoreceptors detect chemical changes

Types of Sensory Information

• Somatosensory information includes touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and proprioception
• Visual information from the eyes guides movement and interaction with the environment
• Auditory information influences motor behavior, especially for coordinated tasks

Key Components of Central Processing

Integration of Sensory Input

• The brain integrates signals to understand body position, movement, and environment

Decision-Making and Planning of Motor Actions

• Brain decides on a motor response based on sensory input
• Cognitive processing assesses the environment and past experiences
• Motor planning uses brain regions like the motor cortex to design specific actions
• Plans involve muscle contractions, timing, and coordination

Brain structures involved in central processing

• Cerebellum coordinates voluntary movements and balance; compares intended with actual movements
• Basal ganglia regulate movement intensity and smoothness

Motor Planning

• Sensory information is integrated
• The brain formulates a motor plan, which specifies which muscles to activate
• Plan is sent to the spinal cord for execution

Transmission of Motor Commands

• Motor commands travel from upper motor neurons down the spinal cord
• Upper motor neurons synapse with lower motor neurons
• Lower motor neurons stimulate muscle fibers, producing contraction

Voluntary vs. Involuntary Movements

Voluntary Movements

• Conscious and intentional movements requiring active thought; controlled by the somatic nervous system

Involuntary Movements

• Automatic movements without conscious thought; regulated by the autonomic nervous system (ANS)

Peripheral Nervous System

• The somatic nervous system involves sensory and motor fibers for voluntary actions
• The autonomic nervous system controls involuntary functions via visceral motor and sensory components
• Includes sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions ("fight or flight" vs. "rest and digest")

Motor Control in Action: Examples

• Walking involves coordination of leg and trunk muscles and sensory feedback to maintain balance
• Writing needs precise finger and coordination with visual feedback
• Brain plans the sequence of activations for each stroke
• Typing involves finger movements, coordination and feedback to locate keys and optimize accuracy

Factors Affecting Motor Control

• Age affects motor control through changes in muscle strength and reaction time
• Health conditions impair motor control through stroke, Parkinson's or injuries
• Environmental factors affect motor control through uneven surfaces or distractions
• Practice and experience enhance motor control's coordination, speed, and accuracy

Sensory Feedback

• Sensory feedback is information the brain receives about the body's position and movement
• Critical for directing and adjusting movements in real-time

Types of Sensory Feedback

• Proprioceptive Feedback provides data on body part position and movement
• Visual Feedback uses sight to guide movement
• Tactile Feedback provides pressure, touch, and texture from the skin
• Auditory Feedback assists with sound
• Vestibular Feedback aids in balance from the inner ear
• Visual-Proprioceptive Integration combines feedback from vision and proprioception
• Extrinsic Feedback involves external sources like coaches

Proprioceptive Feedback

• Proprioception gives a sense of body position in space, perceive where body parts are
• Muscle spindles detect changes in muscle length contributing to movement and position
• Golgi tendon organs detect muscle tension to help regulate force
• Joint receptors provide information about position and movement

Visual Feedback

• Visual data comes from the eyes and provides data about the environment: position relative to the body
• Eye movements track objects and guide coordination
• Visual processing allows us to perceive depth, distance, orientation, influencing actions

Tactile Feedback

• Tactile feedback helps detect pressure & temperature
• Mechanoreceptors in the skin sense touch, vibration & pressure
• Thermoreceptors and nociceptors provide data on temperature & pain, which can influence behavior

Auditory Feedback

• Musicians use this to adjust performance and synchronizing with others
• Environmental cues such as auditory cues help guide navigation

Vestibular Feedback

• The located in the inner ear, balances spatial movement
• Semicircular canals detects rotational movement
• Otolith organs detect linear acceleration

Visual-Proprioceptive Integration

• Combines these inputs to create a more representations
• Reaching for a cup integrates from your arm with visual information of what the cup looks like.

Extrinsic Feedback (External Feedback)

• Using either a coach, trainer or technological device can assist with these things
• Using knowledge about the outcome or how you missed the shot
• Needing to follow through more or were slow are examples of knowledge about preformance