The motor system plays the violin: a musical metaphor inferred from the oscillatory activity of the alpha-motoneuron pools during locomotion.

TitleThe motor system plays the violin: a musical metaphor inferred from the oscillatory activity of the alpha-motoneuron pools during locomotion.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2011
AuthorsChiovetto, E
JournalJ Neurophysiol
Date PublishedJan
KeywordsUniversity of Tübingen, WP5-Learning
Abstract

Despite substantial advances in the field, particularly resulting from physiological studies in animals, the neural mechanisms underlying the generation of many motor behaviors in humans remain unclear. A recent study by Cappellini and colleague sheds more light on this topic. Like the string of a violin, the ?-motoneuron pools in the spinal cord during locomotion show continuous and oscillatory patterns of activation. In this report, the implications and relevance of this finding are discussed in a general framework that includes neurophysiology, optimal control theory and robotics.

URLhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.01119.2010
DOI10.1152/jn.01119.2010

Recent Publications