Modern Discoveries in Neuroscience... And What They Reveal About You (Collection)

15. Internal Models for Voluntary Motor Control

15-1. Introduction

After reviewing the data on voluntary movements of the arms, hands, fingers, and eyes in Chapters 13 and 14, we are now ready to address control system models of voluntary movements that have helped define the mechanisms and roles of the cerebellum in the control of voluntary movements. Chapter 1, “Neuronal Circuitry: The Key to Unlocking the Brain,” emphasized that two forms of internal models (forward and inverse) are essential components of the overall control system for such movements. Both address the role of learning in acquiring skilled movements. Internal models also explain how sensory cancellation occurs during learning to obviate the effects of unwanted sensory perturbations, ...