Fundamental neurophilosophical correlation governing voluntary actions and emergent medical challenges Scientists and non-scientists alike rarely stop to consider what is going on in their brains when they perform a voluntary movement such as reaching for an object, throwing a ball, or driving a car. Why? Presumably they may realize that translating something as evanescent as a wish to move into muscle contractions must be an awfully complicated process. Indeed, they are right: the neural processes that sub-serve even the simplest everyday actions are incredibly complex and only partially understood.
In this essay we take up the challenge of explaining what we know about this fascinating and complex topic. Let us begin with the basic fact that, in general, our movements – even the simplest actions – are accomplished through activation of a large number of muscles. For example, if you…
