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Rhythmic arm movement is not discrete
Abstract
Rhythmic movements, such as walking, chewing or scratching, are phylogenetically old motor behaviors found in many organisms, ranging from insects to primates. In contrast, discrete movements, such as reaching, grasping or kicking, are behaviors that have reached sophistication primarily in younger species, particularly primates. Neurophysiological and computational research on arm motor control has focused almost exclusively on discrete movements, essentially assuming similar neural circuitry for rhythmic tasks. In contrast, many behavioral studies have focused on rhythmic models, subsuming discrete movement as a special case. Here, using a human functional neuroimaging experiment, we show that in addition to areas activated in rhythmic movement, discrete movement involves several higher cortical planning areas, even when both movement conditions are confined to the same single wrist joint. These results provide neuroscientific evidence that rhythmic arm movement cannot be part of a more general discrete movement system and may require separate neurophysiological and theoretical treatment.
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“For example, compared with nondominant-limb training, dominant-limb training results in more bilateral motor activation and stronger transfer (Teixeira, 2000), and a related pattern has been reported for discrete-to-rhythmic movement transfer (Ikegami et al., 2010; Schaal et al., 2004).”
From The asymmetry of working memory training transfer: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2026) · cites this paper as Schaal et al., 2004
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Metadata
- Authors
- Schaal, S., Sternad, D., Osu, R., & Kawato, M.
- Affiliations
- University of Southern California (US)
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (JP)
- Corresponding author
- Schaal, Stefan
- Venue
- Nature Neuroscience
- Published
- 2004-09-26
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 1136-1143
- ISSN
- 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
- 1546-1726
- OpenAlex
- W2115510499
- Cited by
- 368
- References
- 46
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 18
- FWCI
- 7.61
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Japan Science and Technology Agency
- Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
- Keywords
- discrete movements, motor control, motor planning, cortical motor areas, wrist
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Arm, Biomechanical Phenomena, Brain, Brain Mapping, Female, Humans, Functional Laterality, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Models, Neurological, Movement, Nerve Net, Neural Pathways, Periodicity, Wrist
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