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Abstract:
Abstract: To execute voluntary movements, the central nervous
system must transform the neural representation of the direction,
amplitude, and velocity of the limb, represented by the activity of
cortical and subcortical neurons, into signals that activate the
muscles that move the limb. This task is equivalent to solving an
ill-posed computational problem because of number of degrees of
freedom of the musculoskeletal apparatus in much larger than that
specified in the plan of action. A central feature of the
transformation of motor plans into motor commands is a coarse map
of limb postures in the premotor areas of the spinal cord.
Vectorial combination of motor outputs among different areas of the
spinal map may produce a large repertoire of motor
behaviors.
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