Motor Primitives, Force-Fields and the Equilibrium Point Theory

 

Ferdinando A. Mussa-Ivaldi

Northwestern University Medical School and

Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago

 

In: N. Gantchev and G. N. Gantchev (Eds.) From Basic Motor Control to Functional Recovery. Academic Publishing House “Prof. M. Drinov”. Sofia, 1999. pp392-398

 

In this article, I discuss the relation between the equilibrium point hypothesis and a recent theoretical framework that has emerged from experimental studies of the organization of motor control by the spinal cord (Giszter et al. 1993). These studies have suggested the existence of motor primitives that generate nonlinear force fields acting upon the limbs. The vectorial superposition of these independent force fields generates a vast repertoire of motor behaviors. This new theoretical framework may be regarded as an extension of the equilibrium point theory.

 

[Full PDF version]