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Governing coordination: behavioural principles and neural correlates

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Abstract

The coordination of movement is governed by a coalition of constraints. The expression of these constraints ranges from the concrete—the restricted range of motion offered by the mechanical configuration of our muscles and joints; to the abstract—the difficulty that we experience in combining simple movements into complex rhythms. We seek to illustrate that the various constraints on coordination are complementary and inclusive, and the means by which their expression and interaction are mediated systematically by the integrative action of the central nervous system (CNS). Beyond identifying the general principles at the behavioural level that govern the mutual interplay of constraints, we attempt to demonstrate that these principles have as their foundation specific functional properties of the cortical motor systems. We propose that regions of the brain upstream of the motor cortex may play a significant role in mediating interactions between the functional representations of muscles engaged in sensorimotor coordination tasks. We also argue that activity in these “supramotor” regions may mediate the stabilising role of augmented sensory feedback.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Stephan Swinnen for stimulating discussion and insightful commentary, and to two anonymous reviewers for constructive comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Perception and Motor Systems Laboratory, School of Human Movement Studies, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    R. G. Carson

  2. Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Florida, USA

    J. A. S. Kelso

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  1. R. G. Carson
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  2. J. A. S. Kelso
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Correspondence to R. G. Carson.

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This work was supported by the Australian Research Council, the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, and by a Visiting Fellowship (F/01/082) awarded to the first author by the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. The second author is supported by Senior Scientist and MERIT awards from NIMH

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Carson, R.G., Kelso, J.A.S. Governing coordination: behavioural principles and neural correlates. Exp Brain Res 154, 267–274 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-003-1726-8

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