Sergiy Yakovenko, Ph.D.

Project

Neuro-Mechanical Synergies for Movement Control: Insights from Biomechanical and Control System Modelling

One of the major roles of the neural system is to control body movement. This function has been evolving to enable animals to execute an increasing number of behaviours that contribute to their survival. Historically, systematic reductionist techniques have been used to gain functional understanding of different parts of the neural system. However, an increasing number of questions in neuroscience that address the interactions between multiple pathways with overlapping (redundant) functions are resistant to these classical techniques. The alternative is to use the computational analysis that merges bottom-up (reductionist) and top-down (holistic) approaches. The main goal of the proposed project is to use biomechanical models together with control systems techniques to study the contribution of mechanical and neural constraints to movement control. Special consideration will be given to the description and composition of synergies for the generation of movement and to the evaluation of the hypothesis that synergies were acquired sequentially during evolutionary development.

Recommended Reading

Yakovenko, S., V. Mushahwar, V. Vanderhorst, G. Holstege, and A. Prochazka. 2002. "A. Spatiotemporal activation of lumbosacral motoneurons in the locomotor step cycle." J. Neurophysiol. 87: 1542-1553.
Yakovenko, S., V. Gritsenko, and A. Prochazka. 2004. "Contribution of stretch reflexes to locomotor control: a modeling study." Biol. Cybern. 90: 146-155.
Yakovenko, S., D. A. McCrea, K. Stecina, and A. Prochazka. 2005. "Control of locomotor cycle durations." J. Neurophysiol. 94, 1057-1065.

Publications from the Fellows' Library

Yakovenko, Sergiy (2011)

A hierarchical perspective on rhythm generation for locomotor control

Yakovenko, Sergiy (2011)

Sequential activation of motor cortical neurons contributes to intralimb coordination during reaching in the cat by modulating muscle synergies

Yakovenko, Sergiy (2009)

A motor cortical contribution to the anticipatory postural adjustments that precede reacting in the cat

Yakovenko, Sergiy (2009)

Integration of predictive feedforward and sensory feedback signals for online control of visually guided movement

Yakovenko, Sergiy (2008)

Strengthening corticospinal connections with chronic electrical stimulation after injury

Yakovenko, Sergiy (2007)

Predictive and reactive tuning of the locomotor CPG

Yakovenko, Sergiy (2007)

Intraspinal stimulation caudal to spinal cord transections in rats : testing the propriospinal hypothesis

Yakovenko, Sergiy (2007)

Conceptualizing the mammalian locomotor central pattern generator with modelling

Yakovenko, Sergiy (2005)

Control of locomotor cycle durations

Yakovenko, Sergiy (2004)

Contribution of stretch reflexes to locomotor control : a modeling study