"...To move things is all
that mankind can do ... for such the sole executant is muscle,
whether in whispering a syllable or in felling a forest."
- C.S.
Sherrington
| Instructor | Professor Schall |
| Office | 004 Wilson Hall |
| Phone | 322-0868 |
| jeffrey.d.schall@vanderbilt.edu | |
| Office Hours | 2-3 pm, Monday and Wednesday or by appointment |
| Reading | David
A. Rosenbaum, Human
Motor Control and webpages |
Aug
21 Introduction to the course
Aug 23 Introduction
to
the
History
&
Problems
of
Motor
Control
Chapter 1, 2
The goal of this course is to provide an understanding of how we
move. This understanding is derived from information about how
muscles and the brain work, from information about how movements
are planned and performed and from information about what
computations are needed to carry out the movements.
Aug 26 - Sep 6 The Neural Motor System
Examines the functional organization of the nervous system, how
muscles work, the extrapyramidal motor system of the brain and the
cortical motor systems of the brain.
Chapter 3 (Primary source)
Purves Neuroscience textbook online (supplementary source)
Introductory neuroscience lecture slides
Introductory neuroscience outline
Muscles, proprioception and spinal cord
Skeletal motor areas in cerebral cortex
Basal ganglia & Cerebellum: Extrapyramidal motor system
Chapter 3
Purves Neuroscience textbook online
Review the neural and performance basis of various disorders such as Parkinson's or Huntington's disease
Sep 23 - Oct 7 Psychology of Movement
Chapter 4, Chapter 9
Examine production of movement sequences, skill acquisition and mental representations underlying movement. Introduce concepts of response time, movement preparation and readiness. Focus on various lawful relations that have been discovered about human movement in various domains.
Oct 14 - 18 Looking: Low level
Examine the function of movements of the eyes, the organization
of the ocular motor system and the neural basis of gaze control
and eye movement generation.
Schall JD. The neural selection and control of saccades by the frontal eye field. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2002 357:1073-82.
Schall JD, Boucher L. Executive control of gaze by the frontal lobes. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2007 7:396-412.
Presentation on saccade target selection
Presentation on control of saccade initiation and interactive race model of stopping
Chapter 7
Examine regularities of reaching performance, as well as computational and neural basis of reaching. Review eye-hand coordination and how the hand grasps objects.
Nov 4 - 8 Drawing and
Writing
Chapter 8
Examine regularities of performance in drawing and evidence for
how writing is done.
Nov 11 - 15 Speaking
Chapter 10
Examine the production of speech
When does a body movement count as an action? What is the
difference between a wink and a blink? If choices are the
outcome of brain processes, and if all brain processes are
deterministic, then how can choices be free? Robotic
machines can move, but can they act responsibly?
Required reading
Schall JD. Neural basis of deciding, choosing and acting. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2001 Jan;2(1):33-42.
Dec 2 Wilson Hall
Animal Facility tour
Dec 4 (Last Class) Students
present research topics Turn in writing assignment
Dec
13 (Friday), 9:00 am Final Examination
Computer & Cell Phone Policy
50% Midterm and final examinations
These will consist of multiple choice, short answer and longer
questions. Lecture, webpage, handout, demonstration and
textbook information will be covered.
30% Writing requirement
In the first half of the semester I would like for you to keep a personal movement journal. Notice errors that you make. Notice skills that you learn. Notice what others are doing. Notice items in the popular press. Notice performance at sporting events. Notice all that is within and around you that is relevant to motor control - that is, of course, everything you or anyone else does! Turn in the journals at the MIDTERM test.
In the second half of the semester I would like for you to
explore a topic that is interesting to you. A number of good
topics are highlighted in Chapter 12. You will report your
findings in a 20 page (double-spaced, 1" margins, 12 point font)
paper. On the last class session you will give a 1 minute synposis
of your topic. The paper will be due at the beginning of the last class
in December (What if you are late? Don't ask.). You
are invited to turn in the paper electronically.
Please feel free to consult with me on the selection of the
topic. Many sources are available such as your textbook, other
books, review articles and original research articles. A large
number of relevant sites have also been developed on the World
Wide Web.
20% Participation and quiz scores
Attendance and evidence of preparation for class will be
monitored with quizzes. Most quizzes will review material we have
covered. However, I reserve the right to quiz you at the beginning
of a session on material that will be covered that day.
Therefore, please read ahead; that will make the course more
educational and fun for you and me.
Final grades will be on a standard decile scale: 93% and up A, 90-92% A-, 87-89% B+, 83-86% B, 80-82% B-, 77-79% C+, 73-76% C, 70-72% C-, 67-69% D+, 63-66% D, 60-62% D-, <59% F
The Vanderbilt Honor Code governs all work in this class.
