Overview
This course examines how the central and peripheral nervous system cooperate to plan, execute, and learn skilled movements. Students study classic behavioral paradigms alongside modern neuroimaging methods. The course is suitable for both advanced undergraduates and graduate students.
Enrollment: Advanced undergraduates (3rd/4th year) and graduate students.
Part 1: Foundations of Motor Control
- Anatomy of the motor system: motor cortex, basal ganglia, cerebellum, spinal cord
- Degrees of freedom problem and its solutions
- Reflex arcs and the role of proprioception
- Forward and inverse models of motor control
Readings
- Kandel, Schwartz & Jessell — Principles of Neural Science (motor chapters)
- Wolpert & Kawato (1998) — Multiple paired forward and inverse models for motor control
Part 2: Anticipatory and Predictive Control
- Grip force and load force coordination in object manipulation
- The size-weight illusion and sensorimotor predictions
- Internal models and the cerebellum
- Intermanual transfer of anticipatory force control
Key paper from the lab
- Chouinard, Large, Chang & Goodale (2009) — Size-weight illusion fMRI study, NeuroImage
Part 3: Motor Imagery and Mental Simulation
- Functional equivalence of imagery and execution
- Neural correlates of motor imagery (fMRI, EEG)
- Applications in BCI and rehabilitation
- Motor imagery in sport performance
Part 4: Motor Learning and Plasticity
- Declarative vs. procedural learning
- Error-based and reinforcement learning
- Consolidation and offline gains
- Neural plasticity after skill acquisition
Part 5: Aging, Disease, and Rehabilitation
- Age-related changes in motor control and neural dedifferentiation
- Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and cerebellar ataxia
- Brain stimulation (TMS, tDCS) as a tool and treatment
- Cognitive-motor interaction in older adults
Assessment
- Lab reports (30%)
- Midterm exam (25%)
- Final project — research proposal or data analysis (30%)
- Participation (15%)