Motor control 2500-EN-COG-F13

This course presents students with the opportunity to learn about neural
systems responsible for movements of the body. Parts of the course
loosely follow the outline of David Rosenbaum’s book „Human Motor
Control”, whereas topics not covered by that book will be discussed on
the basis of original research and review papers. The course will be split
into three basic parts: 1) Principles and basic organization of motor
control neural systems 2) Movement control 3) Motor control – beyond
body movements. 1) Deals with anatomical and neurobiological principles
of motor systems organization. 2) Describes basic types of movement that
humans can perform, such as reaching and looking. 3) Provides
perspective on how does movement control expand to other domains of
cognition and how the natural human body can be surpassed by wiring
brain and machine. Each topic will be discussed on the basis of research in
both humans and non-human species, and will combine knowledge of
both normal and abnormal brain function (such as the example of optic
ataxia helps understanding spatio-motor function of parietal lobes). The
focus of the course will be to provide groundwork understanding of motor
systems for future researchers and practictioners in the domains of
neuropsychology and (human) motor neuroscience.