Elicited control mechanisms (reaching and grasping) in healthy humans.

Abstract

The objective of this document is to update the knowledge of the neurophysiological mechanisms of motor control of reaching and grasping in healthy humans. The systems theory of motor control predicts that there are specific neural and musculoskeletal subsystems that contribute to the control of the components of reaching, grasping, and manipulation. Musculoskeletal components include joint range of motion, spinal flexibility, muscle proprieties, and biomechanical relationships among linked body segments. Neural components encompass: motor processes, including the coordination of the eye, head, trunk and arm movements and coordination of both the transport and grasp phases of the research; sensory processes, including the coordination of visual, vestibular, and somatosensory systems; internal representations, important for the mapping of sensation to action; and higher-level processes, essential for adaptive and anticipatory aspects of manipulatory functions.