UNDERSTANDING BALANCE:THE MECHANICS OF POSTURE AND LOCOMOTION
[Chapman & Hall 1995, xi+348 pp. ISBN 04126016051565934164]
Precis of Roberts on Posture-Locomotion

Abstract

Balancing the body's loosely-jointed assemblage of heavy segments on one another during standing and locomotion calls for separate and continuous regulation of each of a very large number of independent motor units. Success depends on triggering appropriate anticipatory pre-emptive actions by gestalt recognition of specific developing trends in proprioceptive, and other, neural signals. This book discusses what forces are actually required and the nature of the signals available for guidance, concluding with a realistic scheme of operation for the intricately interconnected neurons in the brain, with implications for explaining the basis of gestalt recognition in other types of sensory perception also.

Keywords

References

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