Progress in Motor Control, Volume 3: Effects of Age, Disorder, and Rehabilitation.

Progress in Motor Control, Volume 3: Effects of Age, Disorder, and Rehabilitation Latash ML, Levin MF, eds. Champaign, IL 61825-5076, Human Kinetics 2004, hardcover, 325 pp, illus, ISBN: 0-7360-4400-0 $89.

This book is the third installment of a series of texts that address the basic mechanisms of motor control and coordination of voluntary movement. The book is divided into 4 parts and includes 12 detailed chapters, each discussing a different topic related to normal control of movement, impaired movement caused by aging and neural injury, and rehabilitation. Section I addresses theories of motor control, computational models of arm control, and development of turning and reaching. Section II discusses the dynamical systems approach to understanding movement generation, coordination of multi-element movement systems, and the role of the motor cortex in arm control.

In section III, posture, balance, and falls are addressed in considerable detail. Finally, in section IV, motor rehabilitation after stroke and spinal cord injury is discussed, including body weight support training, spinal cord stimulation, and motor control and learning after stroke.

The chapters are written by some of the world's leading motor control scientists, who provide their viewpoint on motor control based on recent experimental findings and scientific literature. The chapters are united under the common theme of the motor control principles elucidated by the late scientist Nikolai Bernstein, whose work provided much of the foundation for modern motor control theory. The content is appropriately referenced and is complemented by illustrative figures, graphs, and equations.

Of particular interest to physical therapists is the chapter on locomotor function that discusses how body weight support or functional electrical stimulation can improve locomotion after neural insult and whether these improvements transfer to over-ground walking. Similarly, the chapter on balance control and fall prevention in the elderly may be of particular interest to physical therapists because it outlines neuromuscular and biomechanical contributions to impaired balance.

Although the content of this book is intellectually challenging, it would be a useful reference both for motor control scientists and for clinicians with a keen interest in motor control theory as it relates to rehabilitation. Prior knowledge of motor control terminology and computational approaches to solving motor control problems would be helpful for understanding much of the content. Instructors may select this book for graduate level courses in motor control, movement disorders, and rehabilitation.

Sheila Schindler-Ivens, PT, PhD

Marquette University

Milwaukee, Wis

Dr Schindler-Ivens is Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and teaches medical neuroscience and evidence-based practice. She also has an active research program investigating neuro-muscular contributions to locomotor problems in people with stroke.