[Postural support for local movements in cats and dogs].

A comparative analysis of adjustment of posture for performance of different kinds of local movements (movements elicited by electrical stimulation of the motor cortex; proprioceptive reaction of placing the paw on a support, conditioned lifts of the paw) was made in cats and dogs. The present experimental data were obtained in two laboratories independent of each other. For their quantitative analysis a number of criteria was elaborated which allow to obtain characteristics of the posture at concrete moments and differential characteristics based on the measurement of vertical forces of the limbs support. It was shown that the general characteristics of posture adjustment (the so called diagonal pattern) are identical in cats and dogs and in different kinds of movements; the degree of diagonality, however, depends considerably on the kind of movement. During conditioned movements the diagonality coefficient is higher in dogs than in cats.