Neuro-cognition in human movement: from fundamental experiments to bio-inspired innovation

Accurate motor execution involves neurocognitive aspects integrating somatosensory inputs that lead to situation-specific motor responses. Neurocognitive learning happens consciously and unconsciously on the spinal and supraspinal levels and allows progressive improvement in motor precision and efficiency. Thereby, the central nervous system governs the movements and enables coordinated synergistic muscle function, which is essential for adequate performance in voluntary motor tasks in physiological and pathological conditions. These motor tasks include, for example, reaching and grasping, fine motor commands with our hands or whole-body posture, and locomotor control. Paramount evidence exists that the central nervous system is plastic and adapts immediately to spontaneous stimuli referring to an extended cognitive learning algorithm over time. These neurocognitive adaptations are acknowledged to reflect changes in the structure and function with certain adaptation mechanisms still under debate.

Technology transfer of basic scientific evidence into mainstream practice of innovation-inspired application and technology-supported therapy has been catalyzed in the past decade by broad horizontally and vertically structured methodological progression. Recent developments of new neurophysiological and imaging techniques or their synthesis currently allow paramount progress in the experimental evaluation and tracking of cognitive or motor short-term and long-term learning which is implemented in transfer arms into practice. The advance in technology innovation of the past decade allows not only a broad practical connectivity in technical innovations and digital solutions, but even the purposeful integration of technologies, intelligent solutions, and algorithm-based modeling into active research. Examples can be found in smart sensors, feedback-based exoskeletons, apps, e-health interventions, and e-health diagnostics. Still challenging is the validation of the new scientific pathways using experimentally obtained neurocognitive data sets and the global consideration and the dedicated inclusion of these new branches of science in research practice.

This Research Topic aims to provide high-quality knowledge in the field of neurocognitive functions under physiological and pathophysiological conditions by linking traditional experiments conducted with reference to the brain and spinal cord with new technologies. In addition to experiments on humans, IT solutions and hardware developments at the interface with industry are also included. The combination of interdisciplinary findings has the potential to illuminate results from complementary perspectives, enriching methodological advances and research results.