Principles Of Motor Control Research Articles

New Ways of Analyzing Sound Change

Abstract. Synchronic and diachronic sound change may involve (1) the phonologization of an effect of phonetic implementation, or (2) the lexicalization of phonetic or phonogical processes. This paper seeks to determine the phonologization and lexicalization of phonetic and phonological effects on the basis of their behaviour across different speaking rates. To illustrate the phonologization of phonetic effects, cross-linguistic data on aspiration and vowel nasalization across different speech rates are presented. The data show that phonological effects adjust to variations in speech rate, so as to keep a constant perceptual distance across rates, whereas phonetic effects, which originate at a lower level, remain constant across rates or present rate-correlated changes which can be accounted for by the general principles of speech motor control. Speech rate might also allow us to distinguish between phonetic effects which do not involve a change in the underlying representation, and effects which have been lexicalized. Connected speech processes, such as assimilation, are known to depend on factors such as speaking rate and speaking style. Consequently, low level assimilatory processes are expected to show continuous variation with changes in rate, as a result of increased gestural overlap. On the contrary, if assimilatory processes have been lexicalized as a distinct lexical representation or as an alternative style-dependent form, then the lexicalized form will exhibit a rate-invariant pattern. A variety of experimental data which provide support for this new way of analyzing sound change is presented. It is argued that part of the synchronic variation in present-day speakers is due to sound change, i.e. a discrete, categorical change in the speaker's grammar.

Common principles of motor control in vertebrates and invertebrates.

Comparative neurobiology has proven to be a powerful discipline for elucidating the principles that describe the evolution, development, and functioning of the nervous system (Arb as et a11991; Cohen & Strumwasser 1985; Heiligenberg 1991). Studies on invertebrates have contributed sub­ stantially to establishing many of these principles. Some noteworthy ex­ amples are the mechanisms that establish the diversity of potassium chan­ nels (Jan & Jan 1990; MacKinnon 1991), the ionic mechanisms that generate action potentials (Hodgkin & Huxley 1952), and the cellular and molecular events that underlie learning and memory (Carew & Sahley 1986; Hawkins & Kandel 1990). The analysis of more complex integrative processes has also benefited from studies of invertebrate nervous systems. One example is the influence that the finding of lateral inhibition in the eye of Limulus (Hartline et al 1956) had on our understanding of sensory processing in more complex systems. Another is the profound effect that the analysis of rhythmic motor systems in invertebrates has had on inves­ tigations on rhythmic pattern generating networks in vertebrates (Getting 1988; Grillner 1981; Grillner & Wallen 1985). More recently, the utility of analyzing the action of neuromodulator� on the functioning of neuronal

Common Principles of Motor Control in Vertebrates and Invertebrates

Common Principles of Motor Control in Vertebrates and Invertebrates

Functional organization of velar movements following jaw perturbation.

Mechanical perturbation of the articulators has been used to examine motor control principles underlying speech production. One common observation is that if one member of a group of functionally related articulators is perturbed during articulation, the other members compensate. The compensatory response patterns reflect sensorimotor organization for speech, and thus have implications for speech production theories. The present experiment examines such linkages by analyzing the spatiotemporal response patterns to jaw perturbation displayed by the anatomically linked and remote jaw, upper lip, lower lip, and velum. Subjects were fitted with a mandibular prosthesis to allow delivery of jaw-lowering, random (20% of the trials) perturbations during productions of the utterance /mabnab/. Lip, jaw, and velar kinematics were recorded optoelectronically and simultaneously with the acoustic signal. These movements exhibited compensatory actions including increased movement displacement and oral closing velocity. Movement duration changes were also observed. Coordinative timing among lips, jaw, and velum was generally maintained following the perturbation. Variations in that timing appear to depend on the temporal relations between the onset of the perturbation and the onset of the component speech event. [Work supported by NIH Grant Nos. DC-00121, and DC-00594 to Haskins Laboratories.]

The development of swimming rhythmicity in post-embryonic Xenopus laevis

The post-embryonic development of 'fictive' swimming in immobilized Xenopus laevis tadpoles has been examined during the first day of larval life. In Xenopus embryos (stage 37-38; Nieuwkoop & Faber 1956), the rhythmic ventral root activity underlying swimming occurs as single brief (ca. 7 ms) compound impulses on each cycle. However, by stage 42 (about 24 h after hatching), ventral root discharge consists of bursts lasting around 20 ms per cycle. In addition to increased burst duration in each cycle of larval swimming, the range of cycle periods within an episode increases, although mean period values (ca. 70-80 ms) remain similar to those of the younger animal. Consequently, motoneurons at developmental stage 42 are active during swimming for a greater percentage (ca. 25%) of cycle time than at stage 37-38 (ca. 10%). Developmental stage 40 (ca. 12 h post-hatching) is an intermediate stage in rhythm development. Ventral root discharge varies from bursts of 10-20 ms at the start of an episode to embryonic (ca. 7 ms) spikes at the end of an episode. Furthermore, discharge varies from bursts of activity in rostral segments of stage 40 larvae to 7 ms spikes more caudally, as in embryos. The data thus suggest that Xenopus swimming rhythmicity develops relatively rapidly, along a rostrocaudal gradient, and may involve acquisition of multiple spiking in spinal neurons.

Speech movement coordination: Oral‐laryngeal interactions

Kinematic investigations of speech motor actions have revealed elegant examples of coordinative motor control principles that reduce the degrees of movement freedom. For example, recent studies of upper lip, lower lip, and jaw movements for oral closure have demonstrated a temporal organization similar to rhythmic motor behavior such as locomotion. Consistent temporal coupling among multiple articulators is maintained and systematically scaled following unexpected mechanical perturbations of the lower lip or experimental manipulations of the phonetic environment. In order to generalize these apparent coordinative principles to include other phonetic environments and articulatory subsystems, the present study investigated the adjustments underlying lip, jaw, and vocal and vocal fold movements associated with various voiceless sounds. Movements of the upper lip, lower lip, jaw, and vocal folds were recorded. Kinematic measures, including relative timing among jaw, upper/lower lip, and glottal opening/closing (devoicing) movements were obtained. Results demonstrate that coordinative timing relations among the multiple articulators are systematically scaled as a function of movement speed and phonetic context. Thus, consistent relative timing among functionally related articulators is a general property of speech movement coordination. It is hypothesized that such a constraint while simplifying the motor control process can provide sufficient kinematic variability while maintaining the underlying synergistic organization. [Work supported by NIH.]

Physiological substrates of normal deglutition.

An understanding of swallowing disorders rests mostly on a knowledge of the normal physiology of deglutition. This paper reviews current concepts of the processes involved in deglutition and summarizes quantitative data on the physiological events that form a normal swallow. Topics covered include stage descriptions of deglutition, neural regulation, sensory processes, and principles of motor control.

A neurological model of sensory‐motor problem solving with possible implications for higher‐order cognition and instruction

AbstractGrossberg's neural modeling principles of learning, perception, cognition, and motor control are presented as the basis for construction of a neurological model of sensory‐motor problem solving. The pattern of problem solving is assumed to be universal, thus is sought in the higher‐order shift from the child's use of an additive strategy to the adolescent's use of a proportions strategy to solve the Pouring Water Task (Suarez and Rhonheimer, 1974). Possible neurological principles involved in this shift and in the process of psychological equilibration are discussed as are possible educational implications.

Motoneurone task groups: coping with kinematic heterogeneity.

Physiological principles of motor control have generally been based on linear servocontrol theories in which transducers of force, length and velocity are used to provide feedback to the motor actuators. Within the past few years, recordings of the activity of motoneurones and proprioceptors during normal motor behaviour have indicated a diversity that is not consistent with any one theory of motor control. This paper examines the heterogeneity of kinematic conditions under which muscles are called on to perform, and attempts to correlate this with the effects of various fusimotor states on the activity of the muscle spindle afferents, the major sensory signal source in most feedback control schemes. The concept of 'task groups' is proposed, in which functional groups of alpha and gamma motoneurones and spindle afferents are programmed to achieve optimal control over relatively restricted but more linear parts of their operating curves. Such a functional compartmentalization of the motor apparatus is thus consistent with several different theories of servocontrol, although it remains unclear whether such conceptual mechanisms are actually embodied in the highly complex neural circuitry present in the spinal cord and higher motor centres.

Reviews: Studies of Mind and Brain: Neural Principles of Learning, Perception, Development, Cognition and Motor Control, Organization in Vision: Essays on Gestalt Perception

Reviews: Studies of Mind and Brain: Neural Principles of Learning, Perception, Development, Cognition and Motor Control, Organization in Vision: Essays on Gestalt Perception

Visual and oculomotor functions of monkey substantia nigra pars reticulata. II. Visual responses related to fixation of gaze.

Visual and oculomotor functions of monkey substantia nigra pars reticulata. II. Visual responses related to fixation of gaze.

Visual and oculomotor functions of monkey substantia nigra pars reticulata. III. Memory-contingent visual and saccade responses.

Visual and oculomotor functions of monkey substantia nigra pars reticulata. III. Memory-contingent visual and saccade responses.

Precision of articulatory targets for the vowels /i/ and /a/: An examination of x‐ray microbeam data

An hypothesis on the nature of articulatory targets for the vowels /i/ and /a/ is proposed on the basis of findings on motor equivalence, vowel articulations, and acoustic considerations. The conjecture is that positioning of points on the tongue dorsum in a repetition experiment should be most accurate in the direction normal to the vocal tract mid‐line, at the acoustically critical point of maximal constriction for each vowel. This hypothesis has been tested in an examination of x‐ray microbeam data for two speakers. Distributions were plotted of the mid‐sagittal locations of three tongue points at the time of maximal excursion toward the vowel target for numbers of examples of the vowels embedded in a variety of phonetic contexts. Visual examination suggests that these distributions are narrowest in the direction normal to the mid‐line, at or near the point of maximal vocal‐tract constriction for each vowel, providing initial support for the hypothesis. The paper will discuss the implications these results have with respect to mechanisms that define vowel categories and principles of motor control. Firmer conclusions about underlying mechanisms will depend on examination of additional data and statistical analysis of the distributions. [Research supported in part by NIH Grant No. NS04332].

Walking robot with supervisory control

A design of a six-legged walking robot with supervisory control is presented. A hierarchical control system of the robot incorporates a hybrid computer. In recent years the problem of developing a robot, moving on legs in a rough terrain, has been extensively investigated [1–10]. The legged, off-road vehicles exhibit mobility advantages and provide more comfortable movement than that of tracked or wheeled vehicles. Now, some scientific as well as technical problems requiring the application of such vehicles may be mentioned. However, the advantages of a walking robot over other types of moving vehicles result from its greater complexity. A large number of controllable degrees of freedom requires highly efficient drives properly arranged, special design of feet to dissipate the energy of the strike, etc. It is a rather difficult task to design a control system for a legged vehicle having all of its advantages. The control system has to process the information about the terrain, to decide on the type of the motion and to execute it. Thus the problem of the control seems to be the main problem of the walking robot. It should be mentioned, that the experience in designing most complex systems of the automatic control cannot be directly applied to the problem of a walking robot control. As a matter of fact, the problem of spatial movement control in such a complicated form is being solved for a first time. The results of numerous biomechanical studies may be helpful in solving the arising problems. The principles of motor control in animals and man have been studied by several authors. The control system of the described robot is based on the idea of the synergy of the regular gait, which constitutes the main pattern of the motion. When necessary, that motion is modified to adapt the gait to an uneven surface or to perform different manoeuvres to avoid or to overcome obstacles. It is called a quasi-regular gait. This report presents the results of the joint work carried out by two research groups: the Institute for Problems of Information Transmission, Academy of Sciences U.S.S.R. and the Institute for Mechanics of the Moscow State University.

Cerebellar control of locomotion: effects of cooling cerebellar intermediate cortex in high decerebrate and awake walking cats.

Cerebellar control of locomotion: effects of cooling cerebellar intermediate cortex in high decerebrate and awake walking cats.M Udo, K Matsukawa, H Kamei, and Y OdaM Udo, K Matsukawa, H Kamei, and Y OdaPublished Online:01 Jul 1980https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.1980.44.1.119MoreSectionsPDF (2 MB)Download PDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesGet permissionsTrack citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInWeChat Previous Back to Top Next Download PDF FiguresReferencesRelatedInformation Cited ByCurrent Principles of Motor Control, with Special Reference to Vertebrate LocomotionSten Grillner and Abdeljabbar El Manira18 November 2019 | Physiological Reviews, Vol. 100, No. 1Improvement of cerebellar ataxic gait by injecting Cbln1 into the cerebellum of cbln1-null mice18 April 2018 | Scientific Reports, Vol. 8, No. 1Abnormal locomotor muscle recruitment activity is present in horses with shivering and Purkinje cell distal axonopathy12 February 2018 | Equine Veterinary Journal, Vol. 50, No. 5Lesion in the lateral cerebellum specifically produces overshooting of the toe trajectory in leading forelimb during obstacle avoidance in the ratSho Aoki, Yamato Sato, and Dai Yanagihara1 October 2013 | Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol. 110, No. 7Critical Points in the Forelimb Fictive Locomotor Cycle and Motor Coordination: Evidence From the Effects of Tonic Proprioceptive Perturbations in the CatPhilippe Saltiel, and Serge Rossignol1 September 2004 | Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol. 92, No. 3Cerebellar Control of Balance and Locomotion29 June 2016 | The Neuroscientist, Vol. 10, No. 3Role of the cerebellum in the control and adaptation of gait in health and diseaseDischarge Characteristics of Neurons in the Red Nucleus During Voluntary Gait Modifications: A Comparison with the Motor CortexSylvain Lavoie, and Trevor Drew1 October 2002 | Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol. 88, No. 4Selection and Coordination of Human Locomotor Forms Following Cerebellar DamageGammon M. Earhart, and Amy J. Bastian1 February 2001 | Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol. 85, No. 2Augmented renal sympathetic nerve activity by central command during overground locomotion in decerebrate catsKanji Matsukawa, Jun Murata, and Tetsuya Wada1 October 1998 | American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, Vol. 275, No. 4Cardiovascular responses during spontaneous overground locomotion in freely moving decerebrate catsTomoko Sadamoto, and Kanji Matsukawa1 November 1997 | Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 83, No. 5A memorial address to the late Masao UdoNeuroscience Research, Vol. 17, No. 2Hemicerebellectomy and motor behaviour in rats. III. Kinematics of recovered spontaneous locomotion after lesions at different developmental stagesBehavioural Brain Research, Vol. 54, No. 1A computational model of four regions of the cerebellum based on feedback-error learningBiological Cybernetics, Vol. 68, No. 2Adaptive feedback control models of the vestibulocerebellum and spinocerebellumBiological Cybernetics, Vol. 68, No. 2Motor recovery after cross-reinnervation of a forelimb nerve by the phrenic nerve in catsBrain Research, Vol. 492, No. 1-2Simple spike discharge patterns of Purkinje cells in the paramedian lobule of the cerebellum during locomotion in the awake catNeuroscience Letters, Vol. 102, No. 2-3Alterations in simple spike activity and locomotor behavior associated with climbing fiber input to Purkinje cells in a decerebrate walking catNeuroscience, Vol. 25, No. 2Activity of rubrospinal neurons during locomotion and scratching in the catBehavioural Brain Research, Vol. 28, No. 1-2Integration of posture and locomotion in acute decerebrate cats and in awake, freely moving catsProgress in Neurobiology, Vol. 28, No. 2Effect of cooling of the culmen of the cerebellar vermis on chemically induced stepping in guinea pigsNeuroscience Letters, Vol. 73, No. 1Supraspinal contributions to the initiation and control of locomotion in the catProgress in Neurobiology, Vol. 26, No. 4Responses of cerebellar Purkinje cells to mechanical perturbations during locomotion of decrebrate catsNeuroscience Research, Vol. 2, No. 5Recovery of locomotor function in cats after localized cerebellar lesionsBrain Research, Vol. 273, No. 1Interlimb coordination in cat locomotion investigated with perturbation3 September 2013 | Experimental Brain Research, Vol. 46, No. 3Interlimb coordination in cat locomotion investigated with perturbation3 September 2013 | Experimental Brain Research, Vol. 46, No. 3Model of four regions of the cerebellum More from this issue > Volume 44Issue 1July 1980Pages 119-34 https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.1980.44.1.119PubMed7420131History Published online 1 July 1980 Published in print 1 July 1980 Metrics

EMG of slow and fast ankle extensors of cat during posture, locomotion, and jumping.

EMG of slow and fast ankle extensors of cat during posture, locomotion, and jumping.

Relative value coding as a common principle in economics and motor control

Relative value coding as a common principle in economics and motor control

The principles of electronic motor control

The principles of electronic motor control