Linear Combinations of Primitives in Vertebrate Motor Control

Recent investigations on the spinalized frog have provided evidence suggesting that the neural circuits in the spinal cord are organized into a number of distinct functional modules. We have investigated the rule that governs the coactivation of two such modules. To this end, we have developed an ex...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 1994-08, Vol.91 (16), p.7534-7538
Main Authors: Mussa-Ivaldi, F A, Giszter, S F, Bizzi, E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Ankle
Cell Communication
Electric Stimulation
Electrodes
Extremities - physiology
Force field
Kinematics
Legs
Mathematical vectors
Models, Biological
Motor ability
Motor Activity - physiology
Neurobiology
Neurology
Rana catesbeiana
Reptiles & amphibians
Spinal cord
Spinal Cord - physiology
Trajectories
Transducers
Vertebrata
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Description
Summary:Recent investigations on the spinalized frog have provided evidence suggesting that the neural circuits in the spinal cord are organized into a number of distinct functional modules. We have investigated the rule that governs the coactivation of two such modules. To this end, we have developed an experimental paradigm that involves the simultaneous stimulation of two sites in the frog's spinal cord and the quantitative comparison of the resulting mechanical response with the summation of the responses obtained from the stimulation of each site. We found that the simultaneous stimulation of two sites leads to the vector summation of the endpoint forces generated by each site separately. This linear behavior is quite remarkable and provides strong support to the view that the central nervous system may generate a wide repertoire of motor behaviors through the vectorial superposition of a few motor primitives stored within the neural circuits in the spinal cord.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.91.16.7534