Predictive motor control and internal models

Skilled motor behaviour relies on the central nervous system’s capacity to predict, rather than merely react to, the sensory consequences of its own actions. From reaching for a cup of coffee to maintaining balance on a moving train, every voluntary movement relies on the central nervous system’s ability to anticipate the sensory consequences of its own actions. This predictive capacity is thought to be supported by internal models: neural representations of the body and the external world that allow the brain to estimate forthcoming states and select appropriate motor commands. Forward models predict the sensory outcomes of motor actions, while inverse models compute the motor commands required to achieve a desired sensory or kinematic goal. Together, they form the computational backbone of skilled, flexible, and adaptive behaviour, and their disruption is increasingly recognised as a hallmark of several neurological and psychiatric conditions.This Research Topic aims to bring together cutting-edge research that advances our understanding of how the brain builds, updates, and uses internal models to control movement across dynamic tasks by highlighting multidisciplinary factors. We welcome contributions spanning fundamental and translational neuroscience, including behavioural experiments, neurophysiology, neuroimaging, computational modelling, and clinical investigations across the lifespan. Studies that connect predictive motor control with sensory perception, multisensory integration, motor learning, and the development of assistive and rehabilitation technologies are strongly encouraged. We are also particularly interested in contributions which examine how contextual factors, such as uncertainty, motivation, stress, fatigue, and environmental complexity, shape predictive motor behaviour.We invite original research, reviews, perspectives, and methods articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:· Neural and computational mechanisms underlying forward and inverse models· Cerebellar, cortical, and subcortical contributions to internal model formation· Adaptation and recalibration of internal models in response to perturbations· Internal models in skilled and expert performance (sports, music, surgery)· Development and ageing of predictive motor control across the lifespan· Disruption of predictive mechanisms in neurological and psychiatric disorders (e.g., cerebellar ataxia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, dystonia, schizophrenia, functional movement disorders)· Reward, effort, and decision-making in predictive motor control· Cognitive, affective, and contextual influences on predictive motor control (e.g., uncertainty, stress, confidence, fatigue, motivation, embodiment)· Predictive control in human-machine interaction, assistive technologies, robotics, and brain-computer interfaces Topic editors: Olivier White, Richard Mills Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/82027/predictive-motor-control-and-internal-models