Playing the piano, swinging a golf club, typing words on a computer - what do all these activities have in common? Physiologically, each requires the careful coordination of different movements by both limbs to complete the task. This is bimanual coordination, and we have Dr. Deanna Kennedy in the studio to talk about it! Join us for a talk on the very basics of human performance, and how completion of even the smallest tasks is an impressive physiological feat! LISTEN NOW! 

Check out the weekly text article by Ms. Deanna Kennedy titled "Just Follow the Yellow Brick Road: A Guide to Performing Complex Bimanual Coordination Patterns" "Coordinating movements between the limbs is important for many activities of daily living and sport specific skills. Buttoning your shirt, opening a bottle, driving your car, and serving a tennis ball are tasks that involve some type of coordination between the limbs."

Read the weekly text article "Improving Goal-Directed Limb Movement: Don't Overthink This!" by Jason Boyle. "Our nervous system is highly adaptable in perceiving, analyzing and executing movements in relation to an ever-changing perceptual environment. We use vision, knowledge of limb location, and anticipation of force production while simultaneously recognizing variability in our judgment to execute movements through the world around us."

It's time for the weekly text article "Talk To The Hand" by Deanna Kennedy. "The ability to coordinate movements between the limbs is important for many activities of daily living and sport specific skills. For example, tying your shoes, slicing bread, driving your car, and serving a tennis ball are tasks that involve some type of coordination between the limbs. However, the role of each limb may vary with different task requirements."

This week's article is focused on "Control of Wrist and Arm Movements at Varying Difficulties" by Jason Boyle. Our muscles are controlled by “motor units”, which each consist of a neuron, and the muscle fiber(s) it activates or “innervates”. The muscle that responds is termed an “effector”. Brain mapping studies have shown that a disproportionate area of the motor cortex governs certain effectors of the body.