Principles Underlying Movement Organization: Upper Limb

Abstract

It seems natural to assume that certain fundamental principles underlie the organization and performance of motor behavior. The search for governing principles has spanned many motor systems, ranging from isolated muscle contraction through locomotion in invertebrates and vertebrates, quadrupeds and bipeds, to whole-body posture in humans. More recent attempts to study the fundamental principles of upper-limb function are the topic of PART III of this book. These chapters provide a representative sample of the issues which have been raised and the progress which has been made towards gaining an under-standing of this complex topic and applying that knowledge to the development of assistive devices for rehabilitation of upper-limb motor dysfunction.