Routledge Handbook of Motor Control and Motor Learning

The Routledge Handbook of Motor Control and Motor Learning is the first book to offer a comprehensive survey of neurophysiological, behavioural and biomechanical aspects of motor function. Adopting an integrative approach, it examines the full range of key topics in contemporary human movement studies, explaining motor behaviour in depth from the molecular level to behavioural consequences. The book contains contributions from many of the world-s leading experts in motor control and motor learning, and is composed of five thematic parts: - Theories and models - Basic aspects of motor control and learning - Motor control and learning in locomotion and posture - Motor control and learning in voluntary actions - Challenges in motor control and learning Mastering and improving motor control may be important in sports, but it becomes even more relevant in rehabilitation and clinical settings, where the prime aim is to regain motor function. Therefore the book addresses not only basic and theoretical aspects of motor control and learning but also applied areas like robotics, modelling and complex human movements. This book is both a definitive subject guide and an important contribution to the contemporary research agenda. It is therefore important reading for students, scholars and researchers working in sports and exercise science, kinesiology, physical therapy, medicine and neuroscience.

Albert Gollhofer is Professor and Head of the Department of Sport Sciences at the University of Freiburg, Germany. He is former President of the European College of Sport Science and of the German Society of Biomechanics. Wolfgang Taube is Professor and Head of the Movement and Sport Science Department at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. He is member of the national research council Switzerland and executive member of the Swiss Society of Sport. Jens Bo Nielsen is Professor of Human Motor Control at the Institute of Exercise and Sport Sciences & Institute of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He is head of the research group Copenhagen Neural Control of Movement.

Section 1: Theories and Models 1. Theoretical Models of Motor Control and Motor Learning 2. What Can We Learn from Animal Models 3. Postural Control by Disturbance Estimation and Compensation Through Long-Loop Responses 4. Motor Learning Explored with Myoelectric and Neural Interfaces 5. Biomechanical and Neuromechanical Concepts for Legged Locomotion: Computer models and robot validation Section 2: Basic Aspects of Motor Control and Learning 6. Visual Activation of Short Latency Reinforcement Mechanisms in the Basal Ganglia 7. The Role of Augmented Feedback in Human Motor Learning 8. Neuroscientific Aspects of Implicit Motor Learning in Sport 9. Mirror Neurons and Imitation Section 3: Motor Control and Learning in Locomotion and Posture 10. Neural Control of Walking 11. Adaptive Plasticity of Gait 12. Motor Control and Motor Learning in Stretch-Shortening Cycle Movements 13. Postural Control and Balance Training Section 4: Motor Control and Learning in Voluntary Actions 14. Body Schema, Illusions of Movement and Body Perception 15. Voluntary Movement: Limitations and consequences of the anatomy and physiology of motor pathways 16. Acute and Long-Term Neural Adaptations to Training Section 5: Challenges in Motor Control and Learning 17. Motor Control and Motor Learning under Fatigue Conditions 18. Movement Disorders: Implications for the understanding of motor control