'Noise' affects how brain affects movement

SAN FRANCISCO, Sep 23, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- A University of California at San Francisco study has revealed how the brain uses "noise" to direct the body to make movements.

The key factor is noise in the brain's signaling and it helps explain why all movement is not carried out with the same level of precision.

Understanding where noise arises in the brain has implications for advancing research in neuromotor control and in developing therapies for disorders where control is impaired, such as Parkinson's disease, according to Stephen Lisberger, director of the W.M. Keck Center for Integrative Neuroscience at the University of California, San Francisco.

The study was developed "to understand the brain machinery behind such common movements as typing, walking through a doorway or just pointing at an object," said Lisberger

The findings are published in the journal Nature.