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This review considers findings concerning the physiological basis of functional movements in humans. The issue is centered around the performance of posture and locomotion as a paradigm for human motor control. Biologically useful behavior does not consist of the isolated action of single neurons, muscles, or limbs. A wide range of sources of afferent activity acts at several levels within the nervous system to produce a functionally integrated pattern of muscle activity. This complexity necessitates an eclectic approach in studies of the function of the nervous system and has to be supplemented by data gained from animal experiments. In the 18th century, the investigation of movement was grounded on the perception that upright stance and gait, in association with the differentiation of hand movements, represented a basic requirement for human cultural development (241). The consequence of this specific …