Insights and Perspectives on Sensory-Motor Integration and Rehabilitation

Abstract

The present review focuses on the flow and interaction of somatosensory-motor signals in the central and peripheral nervous system. Specifically, where incoming sensory signals from the periphery are processed and interpreted to initiate behaviors, and how ongoing behaviors produce sensory consequences encoded and used to fine-tune subsequent actions. We describe the structure–function relations of this loop, how these relations can be modeled and aspects of somatosensory-motor rehabilitation. The work reviewed here shows that it is imperative to understand the fundamental mechanisms of the somatosensory-motor system to restore accurate motor abilities and appropriate somatosensory feedback. Knowledge of the salient neural mechanisms of sensory-motor integration has begun to generate innovative approaches to improve rehabilitation training following neurological impairments such as stroke. The present work supports the integration of basic science principles of sensory-motor integration into rehabilitation procedures to create new solutions for sensory-motor disorders.