ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the cortical and subcortical structures involved in the execution of voluntary movement, and reviews some of the current theories on motor systems. The review is limited to human motor functions that affect activities of daily living when the quality of the movement changes. The chapter also reviews some of the most relevant studies in apraxia, defined as a neurological disorder of learned purposive behavior movement skill that is not explained by deficits in elemental motor or sensory systems and describes praxis in normal elderly subjects that were used as control groups in research. It describes how different areas of the brain participate in the generation and management of motor functions, some more active when the movement sequence is being learned, or is already learned. The chapter discusses some studies that have addressed age-related factors affecting motor learning. Healthy older subjects can learn tasks as well as younger subjects.
