Unit 1: Principles of Motor Control

Question 1

Nature of Movement & Functional Capacity

Answer 1

Movement

• Environmental (non-regulatory, regulatory)
• Individual (Motor/Action,Sensory/Perception, Cognitive)
• Task (Mobility, UE Function, Postural Control)

Question 2

Movement

Answer 2

A fundamental aspect of occupational participation and is affected by many factors
-Movement control is determined by interactions btw and individual, a task, and the environment

Question 3

Environmental

Answer 3

Humans perform activities in different types of environments so our CNS must be able to analyze the activity being performed in order to effectively pan task-specific movements

Question 4

Non-Regulatory (Environmental)

Answer 4

Includes: Distraction (ex. Background noise and change in lighting)
-Performance may be affected by these factors but movement does not have to conform to that. As an OT, these can be adjusted to enhance clients performance
(When watching golf, people shoosh the crowd to limit background noise so player can maximize performance)

Question 5

Regulatory (Environmental)

Answer 5

Includes: Size, shape, and weight of an object being lifted or type of terrain where a person is walking
-Task-specific movements must conform to regulatory environmental factors in order for an individual to be able to successfully participate in purposeful activities and do that safely
(We see a complex relationship between the individual, task, and environment by a person lifting a box because there is a change in regulatory factors depending on the weight of the box)

Question 6

Individual

Answer 6

An individual’s functional motor control is affected by motor/action systems, sensory/perception systems, and cognitive systems
(Think about people at different stages of their life and how individuals systems affect their motor control (How do deficits impact this)
-As an OT we strive to help clients improve occupational performance and understand the underlying systems affecting motor control resulting in impaired movement

Question 7

Motor/Action (Individual)

Answer 7

Coordinated, functional movement is a result of complex coordination between biomechanical and neuromuscular systems.

• Nerves innervate muscles which contract to cause joint motion
• If your client wanted to bring food to mouth there are muscles that have to do this
• Must consider how the central and peripheral nervous systems work together to make this happen
• We see how attributes of the individual, task, and environment contributes to motor control

Question 8

Cognitive (Individual)

Answer 8

Cognition is controlled by many different parts of the brain. Executive function is made up of a variety of skills.

• Cognitive Processes involved in motor control: Attention, planning, problem-solving, motivation, and emotion
• Individual, environmental, and task-specific factors are all interrelated and it becomes more difficult to efficiently and safely perform movement tasks when an individual is asked to perform an additional task at the same time, if they have cognitive deficits, or if the regulatory and non-regulatory environmental factors are particularly challenging

Question 9

Sensory/Perception (Individual)

Answer 9

Incoming afferent information is interpreted and given meaning through perception which incorporates both higher-level processing and our peripheral nervous system
-Both sensation and perception are necessary for functional movement and resulting occupational participation
(think about how a lack of sensation will effect an individual’s ability to walk on uneven surfaces. the person would have to rely more heavily on visual input about the environment and move more slowly in order to be safe)

Question 10

Task

Answer 10

The type of task being performed affects the neurological organization of the motor plan being executed.
The degree of monitoring necessary by the individual is determined by the type of task being performed.
-The types of movement tasks, the taxonomy of movement, and the resulting system demands placed on the individual in order to effectively grade activities for clients and optimally progress treatment
(Tennis is dynamic and requires ever-changing responses. Reaching up into a cabinet is less dynamic but still requires weight shifting and balance)