Action selection
Gate competing plans via basal-ganglia pathways.
Reaching for a cup looks simple; computationally it is prediction, selection and correction under noise and delay.
This page maps loops and clinical edges without pretending one “motor centre” explains skill.
Pillars
Forward models
Predict sensory outcomes to correct before feedback arrives.
Feedback & impedance
Stabilise posture and trajectory under perturbation.
Learning & adaptation
Update internal models after consistent errors.
Key facts
M1 / premotor
Cortical hubs for execution and preparation.
STN hyperdirect
Fast cortical “hold” on premature responses.
Cerebellar prediction
Forward models for timing and error correction.
Spinal CPGs
Central pattern generators for rhythmic locomotion.
Plasticity
Practice remaps cortex and cerebellum across lifespan.
Clinical breadth
Parkinson’s, stroke, dystonia, ataxia and apraxia.
Pair with Basal Ganglia, Cerebellum, Parkinson’s and Plasticity neighbours.
Sources & research
- Error correction, sensory prediction, and adaptation in motor controlSynthesis of prediction and adaptation in motor control.DOI
- Ethological Action Maps: A Paradigm Shift for the Motor CortexAction-map view of motor cortex organisation.DOI
- The basal ganglia: focused selection and inhibition of competing motor programsCanonical basal-ganglia selection model.DOI
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