Course Identification
Motor control: from computations to neurobiology
Lecturers and Teaching Assistants
Dr. Noa Zeharia
Course Schedule and Location
Second Semester
Sunday, 09:15 - 10:45, WSoS, Rm 2
18/03/2018
Field of Study, Course Type and Credit Points
Life Sciences: Seminar; Elective; 2.00 points
Life Sciences (Systems Biology Track): Seminar; 2.00 points
Life Sciences (Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Track): Seminar; 2.00 points
Life Sciences (Brain Sciences: Systems, Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience Track): Seminar; 2.00 points
Prerequisites
Basic Matlab programming skills (Can also be learned during the course)
Attendance and participation
Estimated Weekly Independent Workload (in hours)
Syllabus
One of the main goals of the nervous system is to guide and control movement. Motor control is thus spread over all levels of the nervous system, and is performed at multiple levels of abstraction.
This course will cover various neuronal and computational aspects regarding motor control in primates and in humans. It will serve both as an introduction to basic concepts of motor representation and control, as well as an exposure to various current research directions in this area.
Some of the main topics:
- Why is it interesting to study the motor system?
- Main structures and circuits of the motor system.
- The muscle.
- Parameters controlled by the motor system.
- Kinematics laws of motion, optimization.
- Computing a movement plan, levels of representation of a motor plan, coordinate frames, degrees of freedom.
- Sensory-motor intergration.
- Motor disorders.
- Motor related brain-machine interfaces.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course students should be be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of the neurobiological basis of the motor system and how it relates to the computational tasks of this system.
- Demonstrate understanding of the main current research directions of motor control.
Reading List
Reading list will be posted on the course website.