Beevor's Axiom is the idea that the brain does not know muscles, only movements. In other words, the brain registers the movements that muscles combine to make, not the individual muscles that are making the movements. Hence, this is why one can sign their name (albeit poorly) with their foot. Beevor's Axiom was coined by Dr.

Charles Edward Beevor Charles Edward Beevor (12 June 1854 – 5 December 1908) was an English neurologist and anatomist who described Beevor's sign, the Jaw jerk reflex, and the area of the brain supplied by the anterior choroidal artery. He also coined Beevor's axio ...

, an English neurologist. Dr. Beevor presented Beevor's

Axiom An axiom, postulate, or assumption is a statement that is taken to be true, to serve as a premise or starting point for further reasoning and arguments. The word comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning 'that which is thought worthy or f ...

in a series of four lectures from June 3, 1903 to July 4, 1903 before the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

of London as part of the

Croonian Lecture The Croonian Medal and Lecture is a prestigious award, a medal, and lecture given at the invitation of the Royal Society and the Royal College of Physicians. Among the papers of William Croone at his death in 1684, was a plan to endow a single l ...

s. His experiments showed that when an area of the

cortex Cortex or cortical may refer to: Biology * Cortex (anatomy), the outermost layer of an organ ** Cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the vertebrate cerebrum, part of which is the ''forebrain'' *** Motor cortex, the regions of the cerebral cortex i ...

was stimulated, the body responded with a movement, not just a single muscle. Dr. Beevor concluded that “only co-ordinated movements are represented in the excitable cortex” In relation to Beevor's Axiom, it has been found that the brain encodes sequences, such as playing the piano, signing our name, wiping off a counter, and chopping vegetables, and once encoded and practiced, it takes less brain activity to perform them. This supports Beevor's Axiom, because the brain can recall movements easier than it can learn them. Beevor's Axiom is only partially true, however. Most behavior of muscles is encoded in the

primary motor cortex The primary motor cortex (Brodmann area 4) is a brain region that in humans is located in the dorsal portion of the frontal lobe. It is the primary region of the motor system and works in association with other motor areas including premotor co ...

(M1) and separated by muscle group. In an effort to understand the encoding in the M1, researchers observed commands of monkeys. Muscle cells changed firing rate according to the direction of the arm movements. Each neuron has one direction that elicits the greatest response. Some M1 neurons encode muscle contractions, while others react to particular movements, regardless of the muscles used to perform them. The key characteristic of the primary motor cortex is its dynamic nature; the M1 changes based on experience. The supplementary motor area (SMA) plays a key role in initiating motion sequences. The

premotor cortex The premotor cortex is an area of the motor cortex lying within the frontal lobe of the brain just anterior to the primary motor cortex. It occupies part of Brodmann's area 6. It has been studied mainly in primates, including monkeys and humans. ...

(PMA) plays a key role when motor sequences are guided by external events. They map behaviors as opposed to the M1 which maps specific movements. This could cause in issue in

brain–computer interface A brain–computer interface (BCI), sometimes called a brain–machine interface (BMI) or smartbrain, is a direct communication pathway between the brain, brain's electrical activity and an external device, most commonly a computer or robotic l ...

research. If a researcher tries to excite only a muscle, it might be impossible without expecting a full movement.

References

External links

Medical glossary entry at hemmeapproach.com
* * Neurology Orthopedic surgical procedures {{musculoskeletal-stub