Biomechanics and Motor
Control
(HL20533)
Year 2, Semester 2
Contents:
• Motor Skill Classifications
o (page 2)
▪ Key and motor skill terminology (2)
• Motor Control Systems
o (page 3)
▪ Open and closed loops (3)
• Brain in Motor Control
o (page 4-7)
▪ Cerebral cortex; lobes (4-5)
▪ Basal ganglia; diencephalon (6)
▪ Cerebellum; brainstem (7)
• Muscle Activation
o (page 8-10)
▪ Motor units; muscle activation (8)
▪ EMG; electrodes; factors; processing (9-10)
• Perception and sensorimotor control
o (page 11-12)
▪ Perceptual motor systems (11)
▪ Receptors; signalling pathways (11-12)
▪ Sensory adaptation (12)
• Somatosensory system
o (page 13-19)
▪ Receptors; neurons; fibre classification (13-14)
▪ Cutaneous mechanoreceptors (14)
▪ Mechanoreceptive organs; muscle spindles structure/function; golgi tendon
organ structure/function (15-19)
▪ Joint receptors as limit detectors (19)
• Vestibular System
o (page 20-27)
▪ Inner ear; vestibular system structure; vestibular nuclei (20-21)
▪ Hair cell deflection (22)
▪ Semi-circular canal structure; function; planes; push-pull (22-25)
▪ Otolith organs structure; function (26-27)
• Reflexes
o (page 28-33)
▪ Reflexes; arc; stretch; tendon-tap; withdrawal; tonic neck; VCR (28-33)
• Posture and Balance
o (page 34-38)
▪ Equilibrium and stability; posture components (34)
▪ Inverted pendulum; muscle strategies; negative feedback (35-36)
▪ Quiet standing; sway factors; perturbated stance; anticipatory adjustments
(36-38)
1
,2
, MOTOR SKILL CLASSIFICATION
Key Terminology
•Activities/tasks requiring voluntary control over
movements to achieve goal
Motor skills
•Studied through motor learning/control/development
•Acquisition/performance enhancement of motor
skills
Motor learning
•Interested in behavioural/neurological changes as
learn motor skills
•Neuromuscular systems function in activating and
coordinating movements to perform motor skills
Motor control
•Motor learning/control relationship with human
development from infancy to old age
Motor development
•Growth/maturation changing motor behaviour
Motor Skill Terminology
•Activity/task with specific purpose/goal
Skill •Indicator of performance quality (consistency, various
conditions, efficiency)
•Goal to be achieved
•Voluntary
Actions
•Movement of joints and body segments
•(Re)Learned
•Specific motion patterns among joints/body segments
Movements •Means of accomplishing action goals
•Variety movements accomplish same goal
•Mechanisms within CNS/PNS/muscular system
Neuromotor processes
unlerlying motor control
3
, MOTOR CONTROL SYSTEMS
OPEN-LOOP control system CLOSED-LOOP control system
Feedback loop
•Sensory receptors send afferent information
No feedback to control centre
•Inform on movement correctness during
activity
•Control centre issues initial instruction to
Movement instructions contain all necessary efforts to initiate movement
information for efforts to perform planned
movement •Feedback influences actual execution /
completion of movement
Control Systems
4
Control
(HL20533)
Year 2, Semester 2
Contents:
• Motor Skill Classifications
o (page 2)
▪ Key and motor skill terminology (2)
• Motor Control Systems
o (page 3)
▪ Open and closed loops (3)
• Brain in Motor Control
o (page 4-7)
▪ Cerebral cortex; lobes (4-5)
▪ Basal ganglia; diencephalon (6)
▪ Cerebellum; brainstem (7)
• Muscle Activation
o (page 8-10)
▪ Motor units; muscle activation (8)
▪ EMG; electrodes; factors; processing (9-10)
• Perception and sensorimotor control
o (page 11-12)
▪ Perceptual motor systems (11)
▪ Receptors; signalling pathways (11-12)
▪ Sensory adaptation (12)
• Somatosensory system
o (page 13-19)
▪ Receptors; neurons; fibre classification (13-14)
▪ Cutaneous mechanoreceptors (14)
▪ Mechanoreceptive organs; muscle spindles structure/function; golgi tendon
organ structure/function (15-19)
▪ Joint receptors as limit detectors (19)
• Vestibular System
o (page 20-27)
▪ Inner ear; vestibular system structure; vestibular nuclei (20-21)
▪ Hair cell deflection (22)
▪ Semi-circular canal structure; function; planes; push-pull (22-25)
▪ Otolith organs structure; function (26-27)
• Reflexes
o (page 28-33)
▪ Reflexes; arc; stretch; tendon-tap; withdrawal; tonic neck; VCR (28-33)
• Posture and Balance
o (page 34-38)
▪ Equilibrium and stability; posture components (34)
▪ Inverted pendulum; muscle strategies; negative feedback (35-36)
▪ Quiet standing; sway factors; perturbated stance; anticipatory adjustments
(36-38)
1
,2
, MOTOR SKILL CLASSIFICATION
Key Terminology
•Activities/tasks requiring voluntary control over
movements to achieve goal
Motor skills
•Studied through motor learning/control/development
•Acquisition/performance enhancement of motor
skills
Motor learning
•Interested in behavioural/neurological changes as
learn motor skills
•Neuromuscular systems function in activating and
coordinating movements to perform motor skills
Motor control
•Motor learning/control relationship with human
development from infancy to old age
Motor development
•Growth/maturation changing motor behaviour
Motor Skill Terminology
•Activity/task with specific purpose/goal
Skill •Indicator of performance quality (consistency, various
conditions, efficiency)
•Goal to be achieved
•Voluntary
Actions
•Movement of joints and body segments
•(Re)Learned
•Specific motion patterns among joints/body segments
Movements •Means of accomplishing action goals
•Variety movements accomplish same goal
•Mechanisms within CNS/PNS/muscular system
Neuromotor processes
unlerlying motor control
3
, MOTOR CONTROL SYSTEMS
OPEN-LOOP control system CLOSED-LOOP control system
Feedback loop
•Sensory receptors send afferent information
No feedback to control centre
•Inform on movement correctness during
activity
•Control centre issues initial instruction to
Movement instructions contain all necessary efforts to initiate movement
information for efforts to perform planned
movement •Feedback influences actual execution /
completion of movement
Control Systems
4
