Optimal motor synergy extraction for novel actions and virtual environments

Reader, A. T. (2017) Optimal motor synergy extraction for novel actions and virtual environments. Journal of neurophysiology, 118 (2). pp. 652-654. ISSN 1522-1598 doi: 10.1152/jn.00165.2017

Abstract/Summary

Dimensionality reduction techniques such as factor analysis can be used to identify the smallest number of components (motor synergies) that explain motion. Lambert-Shirzad and Van der Loos (2017) compared dimensionality reduction techniques in bimanual hand movements, concluding that non-negative matrix factorization was the optimal technique for extracting meaningful synergies. Their results provide a useful measure for examining how the motor system deals with novel motor tasks that allow the actor to engage with a virtual environment.