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A Neuro-dynamical model of Synergistic Motor Control

Byadarhaly, Kiran
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1384426521

Abstract Details

2013, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Engineering and Applied Science: Electrical Engineering.
Animals such as reptiles, amphibians and mammals, including humans, have a very complex mechanical body structure. The number of degrees of freedom in humans is estimated to be between 500 to 1400. Even the simplest actions performed by humans involve processing at multiple levels of the nervous system to control numerous degrees of freedom at the musculoskeletal level. Yet, humans and other higher animals can perform a large number of complex, goal-directed movements under a variety of different environmental conditions. Understanding this phenomenon is a great interest to biologists, engineers and computer scientists. Some of the important issues that need to be addressed are: What is the control strategy employed to handle such large degrees of freedom? How is this control strategy instantiated in the neural and musuloskeletal substrate of the animals? How is this control strategy used to develop skill learning? Extensive studies addressing the first question have revealed that, rather than using standard control-based methodologies involving continuous tracking of trajectories, animal movements emerge from the controlled combinations of pre-configured movement primitives known as motor synergies. These synergies are stereotypical patterns of activity across muscle groups and can be triggered as a whole with a controlled gain and temporal offset. The co-activity of a small set of synergies can produce a large repertoire of movements, thus greatly simplifying the control problem. Although the presence of motor synergies has been confirmed by extensive experimental studies on animal and human movements and the concept of movement primitives has been used for the control of fairly complex robots, the neural basis of motor synergies is still not well understood and there are no comprehensive neural models for them. In this dissertation, a hierarchical, modular neural model for motor synergies is introduced based on the principle that these functional modules reflect the structural modularity of the underlying physical system. Multiple levels of synergies are configured and embedded into neural structures, and the ability of a small set of neural synergies to produce a rich motor repertoire corresponding to linear trajectories in all directions from a large set of initial configurations of a model two jointed arm is demonstrated. A sensorimotor learning system based on interacting neural maps is also built to exploit the motor repertoire and learn to produce desired movements in an autonomous fashion. The ability of the system to produce complex goal directed movements is also demonstrated through an action learning system.
Ali Minai, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Kelly Cohen, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Emmanuel Fernandez, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Arthur Helmicki, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Michael Riley, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
214 p.
Electrical Engineering
motor synergies; action learning system; goal directed movement; sensorimotor learning system; neural map; motor repertoire; neurodynamic; hypersynergies; synergistic motor control

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Byadarhaly, K. (2013). A Neuro-dynamical model of Synergistic Motor Control [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1384426521

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Byadarhaly, Kiran. A Neuro-dynamical model of Synergistic Motor Control. 2013. University of Cincinnati, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1384426521.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Byadarhaly, Kiran. "A Neuro-dynamical model of Synergistic Motor Control." Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1384426521

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1384426521
691
© 2013, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License A Neuro-dynamical model of Synergistic Motor Control by Kiran Byadarhaly is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.