Curso Universitario Superior en Avances en el Control del Movimiento Humano

The control of human movement (Evolution of the field of study). Duration 6 hours

• Past, present, and Future We will address the scientific origins and the contribution of different scientific disciplines that have originated the discipline known as motor control, its current situation, and its possible future evolution.
• What is and what is not motor control? After defining what motor control is, we will learn about the main challenges motor control faces for an optimal understanding of human movement control.
• New measurement techniques/instruments We will learn about those neurophysiological techniques that allow us to explore the nervous system and provide us with very useful information on movement control by it. We will see and understand the operation of various techniques such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, tDCS or transcranial direct current stimulation, and surface and high-density electromyography among others.

Advances from psychology and computational models in movement control. Duration 10 hours

• Application of the Information Processing Model to movement control We will learn about the different perceptive, cognitive, and execution phases of voluntary movement and its implications.
• Reflex movements, automatic and non-automatic voluntary We will know the characteristics of these movements and the ability we have to influence and modify each one of them from our practice.
• Contributions of computational models of motor control We will learn about the great contribution of these models and their potential practical applications. We will address concepts such as prediction, efferent copying, sensory attenuation, internal models, and "motor primitives".
• Movement variability We will address the multiple dimensions of movement variability, from learning to motor performance.
• The focus of attention in learning and motor performance We will discuss whether we can really talk in terms of internal focus or external focus.

Advances in the neurophysiological control of human movement. Duration 14 hours

• The nervous system in the production of force We will understand the behavior of motor neurons and its variability depending not only on the force to be exerted but also on the context where that force must be exerted.
• Contribution of the neuromuscular spindles to movement control We will understand the applications of the stretch reflex to sports training such as plyometrics. We will understand how to measure the reflex using the H wave or Hoffmann reflex. We will talk about the tonic vibration reflex and its possible applications through local vibration vs. whole-body vibration.
• Contribution of the Golgi tendon organs to movement control We will understand the autogenic inhibition reflex and the questionable evidence about it.
• Proprioception and proprioceptive training We will define what proprioception is and from there make a new proposal for proprioceptive training based solely on the muscular sense.
• Reciprocal inhibition and agonist/antagonist coactivation We will understand the mechanisms for the increase and decrease of muscle stiffness and its role in the control of degrees of freedom, as well as other relevant functions.
• The function of the descending tracts in movement control We will understand the contribution to the voluntary, automatic, and postural movement of the main descending tracts (corticospinal, vestibulospinal, reticulospinal, and propriospinal) paying special attention to the startle reflex for the evaluation of the reticulospinal tract.
• Role of subcortical structures We will understand the role of the direct and indirect pathways of the basal ganglia in movement. We will talk about the multiple functions that the cerebellum has in movement control, from motor adaptation, motor tracking, triple activation, and temporary processing. We will extract numerous intervention strategies.
• Advances in the cortical control of movement We will address, among other topics, the mirror neuron system, observation in performance, and motor learning or training in imagination.

Formation activities

• Online expository master classes (30 hours)
• Online practical work (practices consisting of data analysis that the student will submit for evaluation are presented and explained (see next section)). (5 hours)
• Group tutorials (10 hours). Mandatory attendance at 50% of them (5 hours)
• Discussion Forum.

Evaluation systems. Justification and organization

The evaluation system will consist of:

Online practical work consists of the analysis of data provided by the teacher. These practices are listed below:

• Practice Hicks' law and Fitts' law
• Practice temporal variability in repetitive movements of the upper limb
• Practice the temporal variability of the gait
• Practice on force variability
• Practice motor adaptation

Theoretical exam type test on the contents

• Each practice will have a PASS/NO PASS evaluation. To pass the course, the student must obtain a PASS in the 5 practices and obtain a score of 5 out of 10 in the theoretical exam.