Motor Synergies and the Equilibrium-Point Hypothesis

2010/07/01 by Mark L. Latash · 1 voice · 4 citations
Engineering · Neuroscience · Psychology · #Action Observation and Synchronization #Motor Control and Adaptation #Muscle activation and electromyography studies

paper · pdf · doi:10.1123/mcj.14.3.294

openalex publication_date 2010/07/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/26

Abstract

The article offers a way to unite three recent developments in the field of motor control and coordination: (1) The notion of synergies is introduced based on the principle of motor abundance; (2) The uncontrolled manifold hypothesis is described as offering a computational framework to identify and quantify synergies; and (3) The equilibrium-point hypothesis is described for a single muscle, single joint, and multijoint systems. Merging these concepts into a single coherent scheme requires focusing on control variables rather than performance variables. The principle of minimal final action is formulated as the guiding principle within the referent configuration hypothesis. Motor actions are associated with setting two types of variables by a controller, those that ultimately define average performance patterns and those that define associated synergies. Predictions of the suggested scheme are reviewed, such as the phenomenon of anticipatory synergy adjustments, quick actions without changes in synergies, atypical synergies, and changes in synergies with practice. A few models are briefly reviewed.

Citations

• Once More on the Equilibrium-Point Hypothesis (λ Model) for Motor Control
• Free(z)ing Degrees of Freedom in Skill Acquisition
• Feed-forward control of a redundant motor system

Cited by

• Applied Aspects of Contemporary Motor Control Theories: A Natural Science Perspective
• Control across scales: signals, information, and adaptive biological mechanical function
• Working Together: Synergistic Predictors of Dyadic Performance in a Shared Force-Production Task
• Effect of Dual-task Standing on prefrontal-motor Cortex Activation and postural-related Muscle Activity between Young and Older Adults

Discussions

• According to Mark Latash: “Motor Synergies and the Equilibrium-Point Hypothesis”, see doi.org/10.1123/mcj..... Your notion of external models resonates with the ecological concept of direct perception [bsky, 3 points, 0 comments]

Related

• Applied Aspects of Contemporary Motor Control Theories: A Natural Science Perspective
• Once More on the Equilibrium-Point Hypothesis (λ Model) for Motor Control
• An Equilibrium-Point Model for Fast, Single-Joint Movement: I. Emergence of Strategy-Dependent EMG Patterns
• A computational theory for the production of limb movements
• Embodied sensorimotor control: computational modeling of the neural control of movement