Motor Control

A collection of selected papers from the Fifth International Symposium on Motor Control, held in Varna, Bulgaria, in June 1985. The meeting continued a series of symposia that began in Sofia in 1969 and was later held in Varna in 1972 and 1981 and in Albena in 1976, all launched by Professor Gydikov and his colleagues. The 1985 gathering drew more than 140 scientists, including 40 from Eastern Europe, 15 from Western Europe, and 15 from the United States and Canada. Speakers such as R. Granit, W. R. Ashby, B. C. Matthews, V. S. Gurfinkel and E. V. Evarts took part, representing many different research schools.

The symposium organized its work around seven themes: motor unit activity, reflex control of movement, central control of movement, posture control, locomotion, arm movement, and models of motor control. Of the 43 oral presentations and 103 posters delivered, 36 appear in this volume. The papers examine the complex mechanisms behind movement and posture, a subject that has drawn considerable research interest, since motor activity is a basic way living things adapt to their surroundings.

The volume also points to the practical reach of this work across occupational settings, including extreme conditions, motor impairments, sports, bioprosthetic devices, bionics and robotics.