Fundamentals of Motor Control

Motor control is a relatively young field of research exploring how the nervous system produces purposeful, coordinated movements in its interaction with the body and the environment through conscious and unsconscious thought. Many books purporting to cover motor control have veered off course to examine biomechanics and physiology rather than actual control, leaving a gap in the literature. This book covers all the major perspectives in motor control, with a balanced approach. There are chapters explicitly dedicated to control theory, to dynamical systems, to biomechanics, to different behaviors, and to motor learning, including case studies.

• Reviews current research in motor control
• Contains balanced perspectives among neuroscience, psychology, physics and biomechanics
• Highlights controversies in the field
• Discusses neurophysiology, control theory, biomechanics, and dynamical systems under one cover
• Links principles of motor control to everyday behaviors
• Includes case studies delving into topics in more detail

Mark Latash is a Distinguished Professor of Kinesiology and Director of the Motor Control Laboratory at the Pennsylvania State University. He received equivalents of B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Physics of Living Systems from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and a Ph.D. in Physiology from Rush University in Chicago. His research interests are focused on the control and coordination of human voluntary movements, movement disorders in neurological disorders, and effects of rehabilitation. He is the author of 'Control of Human Movement” (1993) 'The Neurophysiological Basis of Movement” (1998, 2008), 'Synergy” (2008), and 'Fundamentals of Motor Control” (2012). In addition, he edited eight books and published about 350 papers in refereed journals. Mark Latash served as the Founding Editor of the journal 'Motor Control” (1996-2007) and as President of the International Society of Motor Control (2001-2005). He has served as Director of the annual Motor Control Summer School series since 2004. He is a recipient of the Bernstein Prize in motor control.