Motor awareness: a model based on neurological syndromes

AbstractMotor awareness is a complex, multifaceted construct involving the awareness of both (i) one ’s motor state while executing a movement or remaining still and (ii) one’s motor abilities. The analysis of neurological syndromes associated with motor disorders suggests the existence of various different components which are, however, integrated into a model of motor awareness. These compone nts are: (i) motor intention, namely, a conscious desire to perform an action; (ii) motor monitoring and error recognition, that is, the capacity to check the execution of the action and identify motor errors; and (iii) a general awareness of one’s own motor abilities and deficits, that is, the ca pacity to recognize the general state of one’s motor abilities about the performance of specific actions and the potential consequences of motor impairment. Neuroanatomical correlates involving the parietal and insular cortices, the medial and lateral frontal regions, and subcortical structures (b asal ganglia and limbic system) support this multi-component model. Specific damage (or disconnections) to these structures results in a number of different disorders in motor awareness, such as anosognosia for hemiplegia and apraxia, and a number of symptoms which are specific to motor intention di sorders (e.g., the Anarchic Hand Syndrome and Tourette’s Syndrome) or motor monitoring (e.g., Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases). All of these clinical conditions are discussed in the l...

Source: Anatomy and Embryology - September 6, 2022 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research