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17 - Development of grasping and object manipulation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 December 2009

By
Brigitte Vollmer  and
Hans Forssberg
Edited by
Dennis A. Nowak  and
Joachim Hermsdörfer
Dennis A. Nowak
Affiliation:
Klinik Kipfenberg, Kipfenberg, Germany
Joachim Hermsdörfer
Affiliation:
Technical University of Munich
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Summary

Summary

The development of skilled hand movements such as grasping and object manipulation is of fundamental importance to the ability to perform everyday life activities. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview on development of grasping and object manipulation. The first part describes developmental characteristics of prehension, i.e. reaching and grasping. The second part deals with the development of independent finger movements, which is an important prerequisite for both grip formation and object manipulation. In the third part, aspects of manipulation of unstable and stable objects are discussed. This includes discussion of the development of sensory control mechanisms, i.e. adaptation to friction and weight of the manipulated object. Finally, the concept of neuronal group selection, a concept that implies that development is the result of complex interaction between genes and environment, is described.

Introduction

Prehension (i.e. reaching and grasping) and manipulation of objects are motor skills that are fundamentally important for exploration and interaction with the environment. Although human infants can grasp from an early age, it takes several years before children are able to perform these skills in a mature pattern. The development of these skilled hand movements and underlying neural mechanisms is the focus of this chapter.

Prehension involves two main components, i.e. reaching and grasping. First, the hand has to be moved to the location of the object. Second, the grip must be adapted to size, shape, orientation and the intended use of the object (see also Chapters 1 and 12).

Type
Chapter
Information
Sensorimotor Control of Grasping
Physiology and Pathophysiology
 , pp. 235 - 249
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009

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