Researchers: Two Separate Systems Control Human Movements
2023-04-26
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1Great thinkers have considered the link between the human mind and body for thousands of years.
2This point of connection was the subject of recent research that appeared in Nature, a top science publication.
3The researchers reported that they have discovered two separate systems in the brain that control the human motor system.
4These systems are in parts of the brain area called the motor cortex.
5The motor cortex is a part of the brain's outermost layer, the cerebral cortex.
6Researchers said they found that parts of the motor cortex that govern body movement are connected with a network involved in thinking, planning, pain, control of organs, as well as blood pressure and heart rate.
7Evan Gordon of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis was the lead author of the study.
8Gordon said that the researchers showed that the human motor system is not one unit.
9"Instead, we believe there are two separate systems that control movement," he explained.
10One system, he said, is for "isolated movement of your hands, feet and face.
11This system is important, for example, for writing or speaking - movements that need to involve only the one body part."
12The research identified a second system within the motor cortex that they named SCAN, short for somato-cognitive action network.
13Researchers documented its connections to brain areas known to help set goals and plan actions.
14The SCAN is more important for whole body movements and "is more connected to high-level planning regions of your brain," Gordon said.
15The findings detail the brain's mind-body connection.
16Nico Dosenbach of the Washington University School of Medicine was the study's senior lead author.
17"Modern neuroscience does not include any kind of mind-body dualism," he said.
18The SCAN finding provides more explanation, Dosenbach added, "for why 'the body' and 'the mind' aren't separate or separable."
19The researchers used modern brain-imaging techniques to test an important map established ninety years ago by brain surgeon Wilder Penfield.
20Their findings showed that Penfield's map, limited by the technologies of his time, needed changes.
21Researchers identified SCAN by using special imaging in seven adults.
22They then checked their findings against larger datasets that included thousands of adults.
23Further imaging identified the SCAN circuit in an 11-month-old and a 9-year-old, while finding it had not yet formed in a newborn.
24Those observations were supported in larger datasets of hundreds of newborns and thousands of 9-year-olds.
25The research showed how much more there is to learn about the human brain.
26Gordon said, "the purpose of the brain is highly debated."
27He explained that some experts think of the brain as an organ intended mainly to perceive and interpret the world around us.
28On the other hand, Gordon explained, other experts think of the "brain as an organ designed to produce the best 'outputs' - usually a physical action - to optimize survivability and evolutionary fitness for any given situation."
29Gordon suggested that both views are probably correct.
30Still, he said, "The SCAN fits most cleanly with the latter interpretation: it integrates goals and planning with whole-body actions."
31I'm John Russell.
1Great thinkers have considered the link between the human mind and body for thousands of years. This point of connection was the subject of recent research that appeared in Nature, a top science publication. 2The researchers reported that they have discovered two separate systems in the brain that control the human motor system. 3These systems are in parts of the brain area called the motor cortex. The motor cortex is a part of the brain's outermost layer, the cerebral cortex. 4Researchers said they found that parts of the motor cortex that govern body movement are connected with a network involved in thinking, planning, pain, control of organs, as well as blood pressure and heart rate. 5Evan Gordon of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis was the lead author of the study. 6Gordon said that the researchers showed that the human motor system is not one unit. "Instead, we believe there are two separate systems that control movement," he explained. 7One system, he said, is for "isolated movement of your hands, feet and face. This system is important, for example, for writing or speaking - movements that need to involve only the one body part." 8The research identified a second system within the motor cortex that they named SCAN, short for somato-cognitive action network. Researchers documented its connections to brain areas known to help set goals and plan actions. 9The SCAN is more important for whole body movements and "is more connected to high-level planning regions of your brain," Gordon said. 10The findings detail the brain's mind-body connection. 11Nico Dosenbach of the Washington University School of Medicine was the study's senior lead author. 12"Modern neuroscience does not include any kind of mind-body dualism," he said. The SCAN finding provides more explanation, Dosenbach added, "for why 'the body' and 'the mind' aren't separate or separable." 13The researchers used modern brain-imaging techniques to test an important map established ninety years ago by brain surgeon Wilder Penfield. Their findings showed that Penfield's map, limited by the technologies of his time, needed changes. 14Researchers identified SCAN by using special imaging in seven adults. They then checked their findings against larger datasets that included thousands of adults. Further imaging identified the SCAN circuit in an 11-month-old and a 9-year-old, while finding it had not yet formed in a newborn. 15Those observations were supported in larger datasets of hundreds of newborns and thousands of 9-year-olds. 16The research showed how much more there is to learn about the human brain. 17Gordon said, "the purpose of the brain is highly debated." 18He explained that some experts think of the brain as an organ intended mainly to perceive and interpret the world around us. 19On the other hand, Gordon explained, other experts think of the "brain as an organ designed to produce the best 'outputs' - usually a physical action - to optimize survivability and evolutionary fitness for any given situation." 20Gordon suggested that both views are probably correct. Still, he said, "The SCAN fits most cleanly with the latter interpretation: it integrates goals and planning with whole-body actions." 21I'm John Russell. 22Will Dunham reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 23__________________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25author - n. a person who has contributed to some part of a research paper and either wrote or revised part of the research paper 26region - n. a part of a country, of the world, etc., that is different or separate from other parts in some way 27interpret - v. to understand (something) in a specified way 28optimize - v. to make (something) as good or as effective as possible 29evolutionary - adj. describes the process by which changes in plants and animals happen over time