February 22, 2010

Seyed
- Muscle synergies are recruited to modulate task variables
  - NS elicits muscle synergies in response to CoM
  - Number of task variables increases with skill
  - Number of task variables decreases with disuse
Hongchul
- Nervous system perceives task variables
- Muscle synergies are task dependent
Julia
- Nervous system detects error in the control variable [CoM]
- Nervous system adapts feedback gains when error is detected
Jeff
- CoM is a task variable
  - Delayed neural feedback from CoM will produce CoM trajectories that are more physiologically similar than delayed neural feedback from hip angles.
- Configuration alters neural control
  - Configuration alters task variable estimation
  - Configuration alters effect of neural control output
    - Changes to stance-width alters the stability for a set of feedforward tonic muscle activity gains and the delayed feedback neural command gains
Lucas
- Nervous system minimizes energy within synergy constraints
  - Motor output system is organized into synergies
  - The nervous minimizes energy
- Biomechanics constrains force production during postural control
- Synergies and biomechanics constrain force production during postural control
Marcus
- Muscle synergies are a consequence of thermodynamics
- Synergies are highly reconfigurable on short time scales (adaptation can happen rapidly)
- Neural muscular modes reflect the modes of the purely mechanical plant
Cecilia
- The nervous system estimates task variables
  - The body perceives CoM motion
- Perception of CoM is related to the biomechanical response of a postural perturbation
- Sensory loss and motor impairment affect perception of CoM motion
- Disuse affects perception of CoM motion

Proposed layout for mind-map

Observations
Hypotheses
Testable questions

Scientific method

Observations (x- is true)
Question (why x?)
Hypothesis (x because of y)
Prediction (if y, then x)
Experiment (is y true)
1. If true go to 1
2. If false go to 2 choose new y