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Open research questions in Motor Control and Adaptation

435 gap statements mined from Motor Control and Adaptation papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 1,982 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • The cortical representation of finger coordination is not fully understood. Current clinical BCI decoders are limited to simple, gross grasping configurations. There is a lack of understanding of the representational geometry of multi-digit coordination in the macaque grasping network.

    Case Report: Representational geometry of multi-digit coordination in the macaque grasping network for intracortical BCIs · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of understanding of the involvement of SII/pIC in 3D object manipulation. The need to investigate neural activity related to hand manipulation in these areas. The gap in knowledge about the role of SII/pIC in somatomotor integration and attention during object prehension and manipulation.

    Secondary somatosensory and posterior insular cortices: a somatomotor hub for object prehension and manipulation movements · 2024 · DOI

  • However, whether such modality-specific effects emerge already during movement preparation and how they evolve across movement execution remains unclear.

    Temporal dynamics of sensorimotor integration for auditory and proprioceptive target information during movement preparation and execution · 2026 · DOI

  • Although previous research has examined various aspects of movement self-recognition, systematic investigations directly comparing self-advantage effects in implicit versus explicit recognition of one's own movements, and disentangling the respective contributions of vision and proprioception within this framework, remain scarce.

    The role of vision and proprioception in implicit and explicit self-movement recognition · 2026 · DOI

  • The topography of the brain network supporting handwriting is well established, but the functional properties of its components in the motor control of handwriting as a procedural skill remain poorly understood.

    Functional properties of the handwriting brain network: Effects of motor sequence and spatial adaptation constraints · 2026 · DOI

  • Invasive recordings in non-human primates indicate that motor preparation and execution occupy orthogonal subspaces within the primary motor cortex (M1), yet how these neural dynamics evolve across the broader networks and support skilled memory-guided action remains poorly understood.

    Distributed neural dynamics underlie the shift from movement preparation to execution · 2026 · DOI

  • Whether task constraints can progressively shape the SLR within a single session remains unclear.

    Rapid experience-dependent tuning of spinal and transcortical stretch reflexes supports goal-directed movement · 2026 · DOI

  • Corticospinal neuron (CSN) activation plays a crucial role in orchestrating goal-directed actions, but the functional role of reduced CSN output, a feature conserved across species, remains unknown.

    Corticospinal neuron subpopulations with opposing dynamics converge to shape spinal interneuron computations · 2026 · DOI

  • However, despite extensive investigation into neural mechanisms underlying forward movement, the brain circuits controlling backward locomotion, a critical motor behavior for navigating confined spaces and avoiding threats, remain poorly understood.

    Glutamatergic Neurons in caudal Pontine Reticular Nucleus (PRNc) Mediate Backward Locomotion in mice · 2026 · DOI

  • While previous studies have focused on tasks where partners share the same plan, little is known about haptic negotiation when plans diverge.

    Haptic Coupling to Negotiate Motion Plans · 2026 · DOI

  • Augmented feedback (aFB) provides external cues that can enhance movement execution, yet little is known about its neural correlates during walking, particularly regarding head stabilization, a key component for visual and postural control.

    Cortical and Kinematic Correlates of Feedback-Based Head Stabilization During Treadmill Walking · 2026 · DOI

  • Both kinematic and muscular null space control modalities have been shown to be feasible in prior studies; however, their relative performance has not yet been compared within the same participants and task.

    Hybrid Kinematic and Muscular Null Space for Simultaneous Control of Natural and Extra Degrees of Freedom · 2026 · DOI

  • Moreover, their potential combined use for flexible control of supernumerary degrees of freedom (SuDoFs) remains unexplored.

    Hybrid Kinematic and Muscular Null Space for Simultaneous Control of Natural and Extra Degrees of Freedom · 2026 · DOI

  • While positive impacts of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) on the human visual system have long been proposed, even in individuals without visual or oculomotor symptoms, scientific evidence supporting this hypothesis remains insufficient.

    Effect of osteopathic vs sham treatment and test-retest improvements on smooth pursuit eye movements · 2026 · DOI

  • Parietal cortex is thought to support visually guided actions, but whether it contains distinct regions specialized for different actions-such as navigation, reaching, and grasping-remains unknown.

    Dissociable systems for visually guided navigation versus reaching and grasping in human parietal cortex · 2026 · DOI

  • In motor networks, inhibition has been associated with oscillatory activity in the mu (8 to 12 Hz) or beta (13 to 30 Hz) bands, yet how these rhythms ultimately influence muscle activity remains unclear.

    Beta bursts in SMA mediate anticipatory muscle inhibition · 2026 · DOI

  • However, the association between gray matter (GM) volume in these regions and bilateral hand movement remains unclear.

    Relationships between bilateral tapping skills and brain gray matter volumes: a voxel-based morphometry study · 2026 · DOI

  • However, the precise interplay between modulated muscle synergies during movement according to motion requirements remains unclear.

    Neuro-Modulation Analysis Based on Muscle Synergy Graph Neural Network in Human Locomotion · 2025 · DOI

  • While research has demonstrated that peripheral electrical stimulation with noise waveform improves motor performance and functions, the effects of noise electrical stimulation on motor learning remain unknown.

    The Neural Correlates and Behavioral Impact of Peripheral Noise Electrical Stimulation on Motor Learning · 2025 · DOI

  • While previous CKC research has primarily focused on passive finger movements, cortical responses to passive lower limb movements remain insufficiently explored.

    Investigation of Proprioceptive Responses to Passive Lower Limb Movements Based on Corticokinematic Coherence · 2025 · DOI

  • Visual feedback gain critically affects feedback quality and fine motor control, yet its neural basis related to cognitive motor control remains unclear.

    Visual Feedback Gain Affects Cognitive Motor Function During Constant Grip Strength Control: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study · 2025 · DOI

  • Data were pooled from comparable yet heterogeneous studies differing in demographics and specific trial parameters, - Error distributions did not differ between sessions, - No error term was needed for the within-subject session…

    Micro-Online and Micro-Offline Learning Reflect Stable Yet Randomly Distributed Strategies in Motor Skill Acquisition · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigate the neural mechanisms underlying micro-online and micro-offline learning, - Examine the effects of different practice schedules on micro-learning dynamics, - Explore the relationship between micro-learning and other cognitive…

    Micro-Online and Micro-Offline Learning Reflect Stable Yet Randomly Distributed Strategies in Motor Skill Acquisition · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigate digit-specific biomechanics, movement strategy, manipulandum demands, or condition-specific task proficiency, - Conduct kinematic, force, or EMG measurements, - Analyze data from multiple…

    Case Report: Representational geometry of multi-digit coordination in the macaque grasping network for intracortical BCIs · 2026 · DOI

  • In this study, we introduce a novel, smartphone-based approach that employs shape similarity analysis to robustly quantify motor variability, a critical yet underexplored aspect of motor control.

    A Novel Assessment Reveals Motor Variability as a Sensitive Marker of Neurological Development, Decline, and Plasticity · 2025 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Motor Control and Adaptation

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The cortical representation of finger coordination is not fully understood (“Case Report: Representational geometry of multi-digit coordination in the…”, 2026); (2) Whether such modality-specific effects emerge already during movement preparation and how they evolve across movement execution remains unclear (“Temporal dynamics of sensorimotor integration for auditory and proprioceptive…”, 2026); (3) The topography of the brain network supporting handwriting is well established, but the functional properties of its components in the motor control of handwriting as a procedural skill remain poorly understood (“Functional properties of the handwriting brain network: Effects of motor…”, 2026); (4) Whether task constraints can progressively shape the SLR within a single session remains unclear (“Rapid experience-dependent tuning of spinal and transcortical stretch reflexes…”, 2026); (5) Corticospinal neuron (CSN) activation plays a crucial role in orchestrating goal-directed actions, but the functional role of reduced CSN output, a feature conserved across species, remains unknown (“Corticospinal neuron subpopulations with opposing dynamics converge to shape…”, 2026). 435 gap statements have been mined from Motor Control and Adaptation papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 1,982 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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