Journal
NEUROSCIENTIST
Volume 12, Issue 4, Pages 339-348Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
DOI: 10.1177/1073858406287987
Keywords
EMG activity; muscle synergies; central pattern generator; time; human locomotion
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The question of how the central nervous system coordinates muscle activity is central to an understanding of motor control. The authors argue that motor programs may be considered as a characteristic timing of muscle activations linked to specific kinematic events. In particular, muscle activity occurring during human locomotion can be accounted for by five basic temporal components in a variety of locomotion conditions. Spatiotemporal maps of spinal cord motoneuron activation also show discrete periods of activity. Furthermore, the coordination of locomotion with voluntary tasks is accomplished through a superposition of motor programs or activation timings that are separately associated with each task. As a consequence, the selection of muscle synergies appears to be downstream from the processes that generate activation timings.
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