The Head-Neck Sensory Motor System

by Berthoz, Alain; Vidal, Pierre Paul; Graf, Werner

• ISBN13: 9780195068207
• ISBN10: 0195068203
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1992-01-16
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The head carries most of the sensory systems that enable us to function effectively in our three-dimensional habitat. Without adequate head movement control, efficient spatial orientation and motor responses to visual and auditory stimuli could not be carried out. This is the mostcomprehensive and up-to-date account of the control of vertebrate head movements and its biomechanical and neural basis. It covers the entire spectrum of research on head-neck movements, ranging from the global description and analysis of a particular behavior to its underlying mechanisms at thelevel of neurotransmitter release and membrane biophysics. Physiological and anatomical aspects are stressed. The role of head movements in upright stance and other functional contexts within the vertebrate hierarchy is juxtaposed with the mechanisms of orienting behavior in a number ofinvertebrates. This reveals a plethora of solutions among different animal species for the problem of orientation in three-dimensional space. Although head movement control in humans figures prominently in this volume, the anatomical-physiological comparisons show that the human system is notunique. The conference from which this volume originated surveyed current research and theory on motor control mechanisms in the head-neck sensory-motor system. It was held in Fontainbleau, France on July 17-24, 1989. The book provides a broad panorama of methodological and theoretical approaches tothe field of head movement control.

Table of Contents

Preface and Historical Context

The Head-Neck System from an Anthropologist's Viewpoint

Evolution of the Head-Neck Movement System

Comparative Aspects of the Head Neck Movement System

Invertebrates

Vertebrates

Embryology and Ontogeny of the Head-Neck Movement System

Architecture of the Head-Neck Movement System

Bones and Muscles

Models and Theories

Sensors of the Head-Neck Movement System

Neuronal Mechanisms of the Sensory Motor Transformations in the Head-Neck Movement System

Spinal Mechanisms

Vestibular Neuronss

Collicular and Reticular Neurons

The Interstitial Nucleus of Cajal and Beyond

Synergis and Strategies of Head Movements and Gaze Control

Head Movement Control

Orienting and Stabilizing Eye and Head Movements

Timing and Prediction

Linear Movement Analysis

Perception

Eye-Head Coordination and Reflex Behavior

Head Movement During Posture, Locomotion and Complex Movements

Disorders of the Head-Neck System

Vestibular Disorders

Neurological Disorders

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