J.M. Macpherson . R.S. Dow Neurological Sciences Institute, Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital, Portland, OR 97209.
Postural behaviors consist of two components, postural orientation and postural equilibrium.
Postural equilibrium refers to the control of the position and velocity of the body's center of mass with respect to the base of support. Maintaining equilibrium is a contact force control task in which the center of mass is controlled by the precise application of force by the limbs against the support surface. When the support surface under a standing cat is translated in many different directions in the horizontal plane, the cat exerts force against the ground in a characteristic pattern, with each muscle being recruited for a specific set of translation directions. Sensory feedback for the control of postural equilibrium likely occurs at several levels and through multiple sensory systems including proprioceptive, cutaneous, vestibular, and visual inputs. Potential candidates for the sensory control of the contact force and of interlimb coordination for postural equilibrium will be discussed.