Neural Manifolds for the Control of Movement

The analysis of dynamics in several brain cortices has consistently uncovered low-dimensional manifolds that capture a significant fraction of variability. These manifolds are spanned by specific patterns of correlated activity, the neural modes. We discuss a model for control of movement in which the time-dependent activation of these modes is the generator of motor behavior. This manifold-based view of motor cortex may lead to a better understanding of how the brain controls movement.