[Postural adjustment associated with cat movement].

The experiments were undertaken in order to investigate the relationship between movement and associated postural adjustment. Cats were accustomed to standing quietly in a restraining hammock. Each forelimb was supported by a tray equipped with strain gauge transducers in order to measure the postural forces exerted by the limbs. Flexion of one forelimb was elicited by stimulation of the motor cortex, the red nucleus or the superficial radial nerve. Unloading of the forelimb undergoing flesion was associated with loading of the other forelimb. The loading resulted from a postural adjustment which was elicited together with movement by the central or peripheral stimulation. Movement and postural adjustment are linked by a common central command.