ISBN: 9780521881579    Publisher: Cambridge University Press Year of publishing: 2009     Format:  Hardback No of Pages: 524        

The human hand can take on a huge variety of shapes and functions, providing its owner with a powerful hammer at one time or a delicate pair of forceps at another. The universal utility of the hand is even more enhanced by the ability to amplify the function of the hand by using tools. To understand and appreciate how the human brain controls movements of the hand, it is important to investigate both the healthy motor behaviour and dysfunction during everyday manipulative tasks. This book provides a contemporary summary of the physiology and pathophysiology of the manipulative and exploratory functions of the human hand. With contributions from scientists and clinical researchers of biomechanics, kinesiology, neurophysiology, psychology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, it covers the development of healthy human grasping over the lifespan, the wide spectrum of disability in the pathological state and links basic motor research with modern brain sciences.
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Dennis A. Nowak is a Consultant Neurologist, Head of the Motor Control and Movement Disorders Laboratory and Head of the Recovery of Function Research Group at the University of Cologne. Joachim Hermsdorfer is director of the group 'Human-Machine-Interface', in the Generation Research Program group at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munchen.
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