The brain can mix different control strategies in a task-oriented and multi-referential manner: a simulation study.

In everyday life the brain must adapt to variable situations that may require a mixture of approaches including anticipatory synergy formation, through an internal body schema, and different control strategies. Unstable tasks are particularly challenging because deteriorate the predictive power of internal models and further enhance the instability potential of delayed sensory feedback. We explore this issue by means of three simulation studies: A) The hybrid control of a double inverted pendulum model, B) The bimanual stabilization of a saddle-like instability, C) Whole-body focal-postural dynamics. The simulation results support the idea that the brain can mix different control strategies in a task-oriented and multi-referential manner.