[The role of skin reception in controlling movements].

Abstract

Skin receptors have been studied in the aspect of diverse phenomenology of their participation in organization of motor activity: from the protective flexor reflex to fine correcting effects from the skin which covers the muscle and the tendon. Analysis of the character of exteroceptive effects on reflector responses, cyclic motions and arbitrary activity has revealed a distinct determination of the effect, its dependence on localization and intensity of the exteroceptive stimulus, a moment of its application (state of motor centres) and so on. It is shown that the proprioceptive correction of the motion which underlies the ring control of the motion is inevitably added by exteroceptive effects incorporated into the same system due to their convergence to the same neuronal mechanisms. Basic moments of neuronal organization and basic mechanisms of sensory (exteroceptive) correction of motor activity are considered. Proceeding from the results of the author's investigations, the role of the premotor zone (the ventral horn, L6,7) interneurons which are not connected initially with afferents in the processes of sensomotor interaction in polysynaptic ways to the motoneuron is determined. It is supposed that these neurons integrate already selected information and form a discrete premise to output systems.