The neural mechanisms of manual dexterity
Open accessAbstract
The hand endows us with unparalleled precision and versatility in our interactions with objects, from mundane activities such as grasping to extraordinary ones such as virtuoso pianism. The complex anatomy of the human hand combined with expansive and specialized neuronal control circuits allows a wide range of precise manual behaviours. To support these behaviours, an exquisite sensory apparatus, spanning the modalities of touch and proprioception, conveys detailed and timely information about our interactions with objects and about the objects themselves. The study of manual dexterity provides a unique lens into the sensorimotor mechanisms that endow the nervous system with the ability to flexibly generate complex behaviour.
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Childhood epileptic encephalopathy presents psychomotor alterations with dysfunctions in postural control, tremors, involuntary muscle coordination, motor control problems, and cognitive alterations.
“Childhood EE presents psychomotor alterations with dysfunctions in postural control, tremors, involuntary muscle coordination, motor control problems, and cognitive alterations [17].”
From Serious Game for Fine Motor Control Rehabilitation for Children With Epileptic Encephalopathy: Development and Usability Study (2023) · cites this paper as [17]
The section “Hand control signals in the cortex” discusses motor deficits after motor-cortex lesions, not childhood epileptic encephalopathy. Searches for childhood epileptic encephalopathy and the listed psychomotor symptoms found no passage in our copy addressing that condition; page numbers were not provided. (LLM, conf=0.76)
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200 of 400 shown
- Authors
- Sobinov, A. R., & Bensmaia, S. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Chicago (US)
- Venue
- Nature Reviews Neuroscience
- Published
- 2021-10-28
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 741-757
- ISSN
- 1471-003X (ISSN-L)
- 1471-0048
- PMC
- PMC9169115
- OpenAlex
- W3209025803
- Cited by
- 248
- References
- 445
- Citations by year
- 2026: 40 · 2025: 79 · 2024: 64 · 2023: 38 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 1
- FWCI
- 4.76
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Nature reviews. Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (UH3NS107714, R35NS122333)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Tactile and Sensory Interactions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
- Keywords
- manual dexterity, hand motor control, grasping, sensorimotor integration, touch, proprioception, motor control circuit, hand anatomy
- MeSH terms
- Hand, Humans, Motor Skills, Proprioception, Touch Perception
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