Cognitive Motor Control
By Jessica Jordan, MS, OTR/L
What is it: Cognitive Motor Control?
Our bodies motor plan movements daily in order to complete motoric actions in our environments. This can vary from daily living tasks such as brushing our teeth, in comparison to running a marathon or constructing an IKEA dresser. In order for motor planning to be successful, ideally most motor acts have a correct sequence from beginning to end. Motor planning includes 4 steps which are as follows:
Ideation: having the initial thought or idea (“ I am thirsty".”)
Organizing: organizing the steps of the task in order to complete the desired end point (e.g. I need to look at the water bottle with my eyes, reach with hands and arms for the water bottle, grab it, bring it to my mouth and then take a sip! In actuality there are more steps than this!)
Execution: actually getting the message to the muscles (we will explain the subcomponent steps of this process below)
Adaptation: collecting feedback and making changes based on that feedback for next time or in the moment.
Within the execution step of motor planning the brain has 3 subcomponents of cognitive motor control. These subcomponents blend cognitive functions aka our brain and motor functions (different areas of the our body receiving the message and completing these motor functions) together.
What are the subcomponents?
The 3 subcomponents of cognitive motor control include:
Initiation: the ability to start an action
Sustaining: the ability to keep an action going
Inhibition: the ability to stop an action
The best way to make sense of these novel terms is to paint a picture with them. Let’s take the example of riding a bike. In order to begin riding a bike, an individual would need to initiate the movement, therefore think of all the motor actions involved including, pressing down on the pedals, steering the bike handles, etc. In order to continue riding a bike, an individual would need their body to sustain the movement of propelling the bike forward. Lastly in order to stop at a curb, one would need to inhibit the movements their body was just working to sustain. We need to be able to move fluidly between these steps in order to complete everyday movements! A reminder that this a complex motor plan and each aspect of bike riding is a motor plan that should be coached separately then put together as the motor plan gets stronger! (ex: practice pedaling without demand of steering, practice steering without any demand of pedaling, practice the motor plan for braking (hand brake vs. pedal brake).
Why does it matter?
Understanding this portion of the execution stage, allows us to know the involvement of the brain in big and small and everyday motor actions. Someone with a diagnosis of apraxia, a mind-muscle disconnect, has the trouble from getting the messages from their brain to their muscles in order to make them move. It is so important to understand that the individual’s brain knows what it wants to do or say, but the messages get disconnected before they can get to the muscles.
Do you know anyone impacted by apraxia or dyspraxia? Did this help you to better understand what is happening throughout their body? Feel free to comment your experience below!