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🏃Function

Motor Control · From intention to muscle — cortico-basal ganglia-cerebellar loops that select, time and correct movement.

Reviewed 2026-08·Sources & research·Methodology·Media credits

At a glance
Score intensity

Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.

Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology

Quick answers

What is primary motor cortex M1 for?

M1 maps body parts and drives corticospinal output for skilled force. One loop node, not a single motor centre for every skill.

Who mapped the motor homunculus in the 1930s-50s?

Wilder Penfield Montreal stimulation popularised the body map. Teaching silhouette — not a personal exam.

How do basal ganglia and cerebellum differ?

Basal ganglia including STN bias action selection; cerebellum times and predicts errors. Nested loops, not a one-way command line.

Is this a rehab protocol or dose guide?

No. Educational atlas of published loops. No diagnosis, no exercise prescription, no medication dose.

What classroom demo shows prediction?

Reach-to-grasp under sudden load or prism adaptation: the nervous system predicts sensory consequences and corrects in tens of milliseconds.

Research score 90 — ranking of athletes?

No. Editorial 0-100 inside this atlas. Compare Executive Function and Perception after Overview, Anatomy, Function.

Start with this section - Function

Functionally, control is hierarchical and parallel: goals bias synergies that bias muscles, with continuous sensory prediction.

Network percentages below are editorial teaching emphasis, not BOLD percentages from one study.

Processes

Motor planning

Specify goals, trajectories and grasp types.

Action selection

Choose among competing motor programs.

Feedforward drive

Launch predicted commands before feedback.

Error correction

Online and trial-by-trial updates from sensory mismatch.

Postural stabilisation

Anticipatory and reactive balance adjustments.

Skill consolidation

Offline gains after practice, often sleep-dependent.

Networks

Corticospinal execution
90
Basal-ganglia selection
78
Cerebellar prediction
72
Premotor / SMA sequencing
65
Spinal CPG / reflex
40

Corticospinal execution

Force and fractionation for skilled distal control.

Basal-ganglia selection

Gate and invigorate chosen actions.

Cerebellar prediction

Forward models and timing precision.

Premotor / SMA sequencing

Prepare and order multi-step actions.

Spinal CPG / reflex

Rhythmic and rapid stabilising primitives.

Examples

Catching a falling phone

Fast visual prediction plus grasp synergy.

Learning a tennis serve

Trial-by-trial cerebellar and striatal updates.

Stopping at a red light

Hyperdirect STN hold overrides ongoing drive.

Walking on ice

Impedance and reflex gain rise for stability.

Compare radar scores with Cerebellum and Basal Ganglia pages.

Sources & research

  1. Error correction, sensory prediction, and adaptation in motor controlShadmehr R; et al. · 2010 · Annual Review of NeuroscienceSynthesis of prediction and adaptation in motor control.DOI
  2. Ethological Action Maps: A Paradigm Shift for the Motor CortexGraziano MSA · 2016 · Trends in Cognitive SciencesAction-map view of motor cortex organisation.DOI
  3. The basal ganglia: focused selection and inhibition of competing motor programsMink JW · 1996 · Progress in NeurobiologyCanonical basal-ganglia selection model.DOI

Media credits

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