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Vescovo E, Cardellicchio P, Tomassini A, Fadiga L, D'Ausilio A. Excitatory/inhibitory motor balance reflects individual differences during joint action coordination. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:3403-3421. [PMID: 38666628 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
Joint action (JA) is a continuous process of motor co-regulation based on the integration of contextual (top-down) and kinematic (bottom-up) cues from partners. The fine equilibrium between excitation and inhibition in sensorimotor circuits is, thus, central to such a dynamic process of action selection and execution. In a bimanual task adapted to become a unimanual JA task, the participant held a bottle (JA), while a confederate had to reach and unscrew either that bottle or another stabilized by a mechanical clamp (No_JA). Prior knowledge was manipulated in each trial such that the participant knew (K) or not (No_K) the target bottle in advance. Online transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was administered at action-relevant landmarks to explore corticospinal excitability (CSE) and inhibition (cortical silent period [cSP]). CSE was modulated early on before the action started if prior information was available. In contrast, cSP modulation emerged later during the reaching action, regardless of prior information. These two indexes could thus reflect the concurrent elaboration of contextual priors (top-down) and the online sampling of partner's kinematic cues (bottom-up). Furthermore, participants selected either one of two possible behavioural strategies, preferring early or late force exertion on the bottle. One translates into a reduced risk of motor coordination failure and the other into reduced metabolic expenditure. Each strategy was characterised by a specific excitatory/inhibitory profile. In conclusion, the study of excitatory/inhibitory balance paves the way for the neurophysiological determination of individual differences in the combination of top-down and bottom-up processing during JA coordination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Vescovo
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Ferrara, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Section of Physiology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Pasquale Cardellicchio
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Section of Physiology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | - Alice Tomassini
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Luciano Fadiga
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Ferrara, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Section of Physiology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Alessandro D'Ausilio
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Ferrara, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Section of Physiology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
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Fassold ME, Locke SM, Landy MS. Feeling lucky? prospective and retrospective cues for sensorimotor confidence. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1010740. [PMID: 37363929 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
On a daily basis, humans interact with the outside world using judgments of sensorimotor confidence, constantly evaluating our actions for success. We ask, what sensory and motor-execution cues are used in making these judgements and when are they available? Two sources of temporally distinct information are prospective cues, available prior to the action (e.g., knowledge of motor noise and past performance), and retrospective cues specific to the action itself (e.g., proprioceptive measurements). We investigated the use of these two cues in two tasks, a secondary motor-awareness task and a main task in which participants reached toward a visual target with an unseen hand and then made a continuous judgment of confidence about the success of the reach. Confidence was reported by setting the size of a circle centered on the reach-target location, where a larger circle reflects lower confidence. Points were awarded if the confidence circle enclosed the true endpoint, with fewer points returned for larger circles. This incentivized accurate reaches and attentive reporting to maximize the score. We compared three Bayesian-inference models of sensorimotor confidence based on either prospective cues, retrospective cues, or both sources of information to maximize expected gain (i.e., an ideal-performance model). Our findings showed two distinct strategies: participants either performed as ideal observers, using both prospective and retrospective cues to make the confidence judgment, or relied solely on prospective information, ignoring retrospective cues. Thus, participants can make use of retrospective cues, evidenced by the behavior observed in our motor-awareness task, but these cues are not always included in the computation of sensorimotor confidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marissa E Fassold
- Dept. of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Shannon M Locke
- Laboratoire des Systèmes Perceptifs, Département d'Études Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure, PSL University, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Michael S Landy
- Dept. of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York, United States of America
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Saveko A, Bekreneva M, Ponomarev I, Zelenskaya I, Riabova A, Shigueva T, Kitov V, Abu Sheli N, Nosikova I, Rukavishnikov I, Sayenko D, Tomilovskaya E. Impact of different ground-based microgravity models on human sensorimotor system. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1085545. [PMID: 36875039 PMCID: PMC9974674 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1085545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
This review includes current and updated information about various ground-based microgravity models and their impact on the human sensorimotor system. All known models of microgravity are imperfect in a simulation of the physiological effects of microgravity but have their advantages and disadvantages. This review points out that understanding the role of gravity in motion control requires consideration of data from different environments and in various contexts. The compiled information can be helpful to researchers to effectively plan experiments using ground-based models of the effects of space flight, depending on the problem posed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Saveko
- Russian Federation State Scientific Center—Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
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Lustosa L, Silva AEL, Carvalho RDP, Vargas CD. Upper limb joint coordination preserves hand kinematics after a traumatic brachial plexus injury. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:944638. [PMID: 36277047 PMCID: PMC9583840 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.944638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundTraumatic brachial plexus injury (TBPI) causes a sensorimotor deficit in upper limb (UL) movements.ObjectiveOur aim was to investigate the arm–forearm coordination of both the injured and uninjured UL of TBPI subjects.MethodsTBPI participants (n = 13) and controls (n = 10) matched in age, gender, and anthropometric characteristics were recruited. Kinematics from the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and index finger markers were collected, while upstanding participants transported a cup to their mouth and returned the UL to a starting position. The UL coordination was measured through the relative phase (RP) between arm and forearm phase angles and analyzed as a function of the hand kinematics.ResultsFor all participants, the hand transport had a shorter time to peak velocity (p < 0.01) compared to the return. Also, for the control and the uninjured TBPI UL, the RP showed a coordination pattern that favored forearm movements in the peak velocity of the transport phase (p < 0.001). TBPI participants' injured UL showed a longer movement duration in comparison to controls (p < 0.05), but no differences in peak velocity, time to peak velocity, and trajectory length, indicating preserved hand kinematics. The RP of the injured UL revealed altered coordination in favor of arm movements compared to controls and the uninjured UL (p < 0.001). Finally, TBPI participants' uninjured UL showed altered control of arm and forearm phase angles during the deceleration of hand movements compared to controls (p < 0.05).ConclusionThese results suggest that UL coordination is reorganized after a TBPI so as to preserve hand kinematics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiggi Lustosa
- Laboratório de Neurobiologia do Movimento, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho – Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Núcleo de Pesquisa em Neurociências e Reabilitação, Instituto de Neurologia Deolindo Couto – Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ana Elisa Lemos Silva
- Núcleo de Pesquisa em Neurociências e Reabilitação, Instituto de Neurologia Deolindo Couto – Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Raquel de Paula Carvalho
- Departamento de Ciências do Movimento Humano, Instituto Saúde e Sociedade, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Claudia D. Vargas
- Laboratório de Neurobiologia do Movimento, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho – Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Núcleo de Pesquisa em Neurociências e Reabilitação, Instituto de Neurologia Deolindo Couto – Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- *Correspondence: Claudia D. Vargas
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Souza L, Lustosa L, Silva AEL, Martins JV, Pozzo T, Vargas CD. Kinematic Changes in the Uninjured Limb After a Traumatic Brachial Plexus Injury. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:777776. [PMID: 34955793 PMCID: PMC8696281 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.777776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Traumatic brachial plexus injury (TBPI) typically causes sensory, motor and autonomic deficits of the affected upper limb. Recent studies have suggested that a unilateral TBPI can also affect the cortical representations associated to the uninjured limb. Objective: To investigate the kinematic features of the uninjured upper limb in participants with TBPI. Methods: Eleven participants with unilateral TBPI and twelve healthy controls matched in gender, age and anthropometric characteristics were recruited. Kinematic parameters collected from the index finger marker were measured while participants performed a free-endpoint whole-body reaching task and a cup-to-mouth task with the uninjured upper limb in a standing position. Results: For the whole-body reaching task, lower time to peak velocity (p = 0.01), lower peak of velocity (p = 0.003), greater movement duration (p = 0.04) and shorter trajectory length (p = 0.01) were observed in the TBPI group compared to the control group. For the cup-to-mouth task, only a lower time to peak velocity was found for the TBPI group compared to the control group (p = 0.02). Interestingly, no differences between groups were observed for the finger endpoint height parameter in either of the tasks. Taken together, these results suggest that TBPI leads to a higher cost for motor planning when it comes to movements of the uninjured limb as compared to healthy participants. This cost is even higher in a task with a greater postural balance challenge. Conclusion: This study expands the current knowledge on bilateral sensorimotor alterations after unilateral TBPI and should guide rehabilitation after a peripheral injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lidiane Souza
- Laboratório de Neurobiologia do Movimento, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho - Universidade Federal Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Núcleo de Pesquisa em Neurociências e Reabilitação, Instituto de Neurologia Deolindo Couto - Universidade Federal Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Luiggi Lustosa
- Laboratório de Neurobiologia do Movimento, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho - Universidade Federal Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Núcleo de Pesquisa em Neurociências e Reabilitação, Instituto de Neurologia Deolindo Couto - Universidade Federal Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ana Elisa Lemos Silva
- Núcleo de Pesquisa em Neurociências e Reabilitação, Instituto de Neurologia Deolindo Couto - Universidade Federal Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - José Vicente Martins
- Núcleo de Pesquisa em Neurociências e Reabilitação, Instituto de Neurologia Deolindo Couto - Universidade Federal Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Thierry Pozzo
- INSERM UMR 1093-CAPS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, UFR des Sciences du Sport, Dijon, France
| | - Claudia D Vargas
- Laboratório de Neurobiologia do Movimento, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho - Universidade Federal Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Núcleo de Pesquisa em Neurociências e Reabilitação, Instituto de Neurologia Deolindo Couto - Universidade Federal Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Stamenkovic A, Ting LH, Stapley PJ. Evidence for constancy in the modularity of trunk muscle activity preceding reaching: implications for the role of preparatory postural activity. J Neurophysiol 2021; 126:1465-1477. [PMID: 34587462 PMCID: PMC8782652 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00093.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Postural muscle activity precedes voluntary movements of the upper limbs. The traditional view of this activity is that it anticipates perturbations to balance caused by the movement of a limb. However, findings from reach-based paradigms have shown that postural adjustments can initiate center of mass displacement for mobility rather than minimize its displacement for stability. Within this context, altering reaching distance beyond the base of support would place increasing constraints on equilibrium during stance. If the underlying composition of anticipatory postural activity is linked to stability, coordination between muscles (i.e., motor modules) may evolve differently as equilibrium constraints increase. We analyzed the composition of motor modules in functional trunk muscles as participants performed multidirectional reaching movements to targets within and beyond the arm's length. Bilateral trunk and reaching arm muscle activity were recorded. Despite different trunk requirements necessary for successful movement, and the changing biomechanical (i.e., postural) constraints that accompany alterations in reach distance, nonnegative matrix factorization identified functional motor modules derived from preparatory trunk muscle activity that shared common features. Relative similarity in modular weightings (i.e., composition) and spatial activation profiles that reflect movement goals across tasks necessitating differing levels of trunk involvement provides evidence that preparatory postural adjustments are linked to the same task priorities (i.e., movement generation rather than stability).NEW & NOTEWORTHY Reaching within and beyond arm's length places different task constraints upon the required trunk motion necessary for successful movement execution. The identification of constant modular features, including functional muscle weightings and spatial tuning, lend support to the notion that preparatory postural adjustments of the trunk are tied to the same task priorities driving mobility, regardless of the future postural constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Stamenkovic
- Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, School of Medicine, Faculty of Science, Medicine & Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
- Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Professions, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
| | - Lena H Ting
- Walter H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech College of Engineering, Emory School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
- Division of Physical Therapy, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Emory School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Paul J Stapley
- Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, School of Medicine, Faculty of Science, Medicine & Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
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Abstract
Even for a stereotyped task, sensorimotor behavior is generally variable due to noise, redundancy, adaptability, learning or plasticity. The sources and significance of different kinds of behavioral variability have attracted considerable attention in recent years. However, the idea that part of this variability depends on unique individual strategies has been explored to a lesser extent. In particular, the notion of style recurs infrequently in the literature on sensorimotor behavior. In general use, style refers to a distinctive manner or custom of behaving oneself or of doing something, especially one that is typical of a person, group of people, place, context, or period. The application of the term to the domain of perceptual and motor phenomenology opens new perspectives on the nature of behavioral variability, perspectives that are complementary to those typically considered in the studies of sensorimotor variability. In particular, the concept of style may help toward the development of personalised physiology and medicine by providing markers of individual behaviour and response to different stimuli or treatments. Here, we cover some potential applications of the concept of perceptual-motor style to different areas of neuroscience, both in the healthy and the diseased. We prefer to be as general as possible in the types of applications we consider, even at the expense of running the risk of encompassing loosely related studies, given the relative novelty of the introduction of the term perceptual-motor style in neurosciences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre-Paul Vidal
- CNRS, SSA, ENS Paris Saclay, Université de Paris, Centre Borelli, 75005 Paris, France
- Institute of Information and Control, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Francesco Lacquaniti
- Department of Systems Medicine, Center of Space Biomedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, 00179 Rome, Italy
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8
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Effects of a lower limb muscular fatigue on posture-movement interaction during a lower limb pointing task. Eur J Appl Physiol 2020; 121:287-295. [PMID: 33052429 DOI: 10.1007/s00421-020-04529-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of muscular fatigue on the interaction between posture and movement during a lower limb pointing task. METHODS Participants (n = 16), aged 18-30 years, kicked a ball toward a target in four conditions of fatigue: No muscular fatigue (NF), fatigue in the kicking (FM) or postural limb (FP) alone, and fatigue in both limbs (FMP). The mean amplitude and speed of the centre of foot pressure (CoP) and centre of mass (CoM) displacements were estimated through a force platform and an optoelectronic system, respectively. In addition, surface electromyography (EMG) of the biceps femoris, rectus femoris, medial gastrocnemius, and peroneus longus was recorded to investigate the anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs). RESULTS Muscular fatigue yielded a decreased kicking accuracy (p < 0.001) and an increased time to perform the movement (p < 0.001), mainly during the backswing motion. In addition, significant increases in the mean amplitude and speed of the CoP and CoM displacement were found in the anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) axes (ps < 0.001), especially when both limbs were fatigued. The EMG analysis confirmed that fatigue modified the way APAs were generated. During fatigue, postural muscle activity increased, but was delayed with respect to movement onset (ps < 0.001). This pattern of response was more consistent when both limbs were fatigued (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION The present results suggested an additive effect of fatigue and a functional adaptation and subsequent decrease in the overall variability of APAs, indicating that postural and motor processes are interdependent.
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Hilt PM, Cardellicchio P, Dolfini E, Pozzo T, Fadiga L, D’Ausilio A. Motor Recruitment during Action Observation: Effect of Interindividual Differences in Action Strategy. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:3910-3920. [PMID: 32043124 PMCID: PMC7264692 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Revised: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual processing of other's actions is supported by sensorimotor brain activations. Access to sensorimotor representations may, in principle, provide the top-down signal required to bias search and selection of critical visual features. For this to happen, it is necessary that a stable one-to-one mapping exists between observed kinematics and underlying motor commands. However, due to the inherent redundancy of the human musculoskeletal system, this is hardly the case for multijoint actions where everyone has his own moving style (individual motor signature-IMS). Here, we investigated the influence of subject's IMS on subjects' motor excitability during the observation of an actor achieving the same goal by adopting two different IMSs. Despite a clear dissociation in kinematic and electromyographic patterns between the two actions, we found no group-level modulation of corticospinal excitability (CSE) in observers. Rather, we found a negative relationship between CSE and actor-observer IMS distance, already at the single-subject level. Thus, sensorimotor activity during action observation does not slavishly replicate the motor plan implemented by the actor, but rather reflects the distance between what is canonical according to one's own motor template and the observed movements performed by other individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- P M Hilt
- IIT@UniFe Center for Translational Neurophysiology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
| | - P Cardellicchio
- IIT@UniFe Center for Translational Neurophysiology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
| | - E Dolfini
- IIT@UniFe Center for Translational Neurophysiology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
| | - T Pozzo
- IIT@UniFe Center for Translational Neurophysiology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
- INSERMU1093, Universite de Bourgogne Franche-Comte, 21000, Dijon, France
| | - L Fadiga
- IIT@UniFe Center for Translational Neurophysiology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
- Section of Human Physiology, Università di Ferrara, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
| | - A D’Ausilio
- IIT@UniFe Center for Translational Neurophysiology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
- Section of Human Physiology, Università di Ferrara, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
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Wochner I, Driess D, Zimmermann H, Haeufle DFB, Toussaint M, Schmitt S. Optimality Principles in Human Point-to-Manifold Reaching Accounting for Muscle Dynamics. Front Comput Neurosci 2020; 14:38. [PMID: 32499691 PMCID: PMC7242656 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2020.00038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Human arm movements are highly stereotypical under a large variety of experimental conditions. This is striking due to the high redundancy of the human musculoskeletal system, which in principle allows many possible trajectories toward a goal. Many researchers hypothesize that through evolution, learning, and adaption, the human system has developed optimal control strategies to select between these possibilities. Various optimality principles were proposed in the literature that reproduce human-like trajectories in certain conditions. However, these studies often focus on a single cost function and use simple torque-driven models of motion generation, which are not consistent with human muscle-actuated motion. The underlying structure of our human system, with the use of muscle dynamics in interaction with the control principles, might have a significant influence on what optimality principles best model human motion. To investigate this hypothesis, we consider a point-to-manifold reaching task that leaves the target underdetermined. Given hypothesized motion objectives, the control input is generated using Bayesian optimization, which is a machine learning based method that trades-off exploitation and exploration. Using numerical simulations with Hill-type muscles, we show that a combination of optimality principles best predicts human point-to-manifold reaching when accounting for the muscle dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabell Wochner
- Institute for Modelling and Simulation of Biomechanical Systems, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Danny Driess
- Machine Learning and Robotics Lab, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Heiko Zimmermann
- Khoury College of Computer Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Daniel F B Haeufle
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, and Werner Reichard Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marc Toussaint
- Machine Learning and Robotics Lab, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Syn Schmitt
- Institute for Modelling and Simulation of Biomechanical Systems, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
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11
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Anticipatory postural adjustments during joint action coordination. Sci Rep 2019; 9:12328. [PMID: 31444405 PMCID: PMC6707290 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-48758-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a current claim that humans are able to effortlessly detect others’ hidden mental state by simply observing their movements and transforming the visual input into motor knowledge to predict behaviour. Using a classical paradigm quantifying motor predictions, we tested the role of vision feedback during a reach and load-lifting task performed either alone or with the help of a partner. Wrist flexor and extensor muscle activities were recorded on the supporting hand. Early muscle changes preventing limb instabilities when participants performed the task by themselves revealed the contribution of the visual input in postural anticipation. When the partner performed the unloading, a condition mimicking a split-brain situation, motor prediction followed a pattern evolving along the task course and changing with the integration of successive somatosensory feedback. Our findings demonstrate that during social behaviour, in addition to self-motor representations, individuals cooperate by continuously integrating sensory signals from various sources.
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12
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Casteran M, Hilt PM, Mourey F, Manckoundia P, French R, Thomas E. Shifts in Key Time Points and Strategies for a Multisegment Motor Task in Healthy Aging Subjects. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2018; 73:1609-1617. [PMID: 29741585 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/gly066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we compared key temporal points in the whole body pointing movement of healthy aging and young subjects. During this movement, subject leans forward from a standing position to reach a target. As it involves forward inclination of the trunk, the movement creates a risk for falling. We examined two strategic time points during the task-first, the crossover point where the velocity of the center of mass (CoM) in the vertical dimension outstripped the velocity in the anteroposterior dimension and secondly, the time to peak of the CoM velocity profile. Transitions to stabilizing postures occur at these time points. They both occurred earlier in aging subjects. The crossover point also showed adjustments with target distance in aging subjects, while this was not observed in younger subjects. The shifts in these key time points could not be attributed to differences in movement duration between the two groups. Investigation with an optimal control model showed that the temporal adjustment as a function of target distance in the healthy aging subjects fits into a strategy that emphasized equilibrium maintenance rather than absolute work as a control strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthieu Casteran
- Université de Lorraine, UFR Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées, Département STAPS, Metz, France.,Laboratoire Lorrain de Psychologie et Neurosciences de la dynamique des comportements, Metz, France
| | - Pauline M Hilt
- Instituto Italiano di Technologia, Centre for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Ferrara, Italy
| | - France Mourey
- UFR-STAPS, INSERM U-1093, Cognition, Action and Sensorimotor Plasticity Université de Bourgogne, Campus Universitaire, Dijon, France
| | - Patrick Manckoundia
- Service de Médecine Interne Gériatrie, Hôpital de Champmaillot, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Dijon cedex, France
| | - Robert French
- LEAD, CNRS UMR5022, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Elizabeth Thomas
- UFR-STAPS, INSERM U-1093, Cognition, Action and Sensorimotor Plasticity Université de Bourgogne, Campus Universitaire, Dijon, France
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Deciphering the functional role of spatial and temporal muscle synergies in whole-body movements. Sci Rep 2018; 8:8391. [PMID: 29849101 PMCID: PMC5976658 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-26780-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Voluntary movement is hypothesized to rely on a limited number of muscle synergies, the recruitment of which translates task goals into effective muscle activity. In this study, we investigated how to analytically characterize the functional role of different types of muscle synergies in task performance. To this end, we recorded a comprehensive dataset of muscle activity during a variety of whole-body pointing movements. We decomposed the electromyographic (EMG) signals using a space-by-time modularity model which encompasses the main types of synergies. We then used a task decoding and information theoretic analysis to probe the role of each synergy by mapping it to specific task features. We found that the temporal and spatial aspects of the movements were encoded by different temporal and spatial muscle synergies, respectively, consistent with the intuition that there should a correspondence between major attributes of movement and major features of synergies. This approach led to the development of a novel computational method for comparing muscle synergies from different participants according to their functional role. This functional similarity analysis yielded a small set of temporal and spatial synergies that describes the main features of whole-body reaching movements.
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14
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Hilt PM, Delis I, Pozzo T, Berret B. Space-by-Time Modular Decomposition Effectively Describes Whole-Body Muscle Activity During Upright Reaching in Various Directions. Front Comput Neurosci 2018; 12:20. [PMID: 29666576 PMCID: PMC5891645 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2018.00020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 03/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The modular control hypothesis suggests that motor commands are built from precoded modules whose specific combined recruitment can allow the performance of virtually any motor task. Despite considerable experimental support, this hypothesis remains tentative as classical findings of reduced dimensionality in muscle activity may also result from other constraints (biomechanical couplings, data averaging or low dimensionality of motor tasks). Here we assessed the effectiveness of modularity in describing muscle activity in a comprehensive experiment comprising 72 distinct point-to-point whole-body movements during which the activity of 30 muscles was recorded. To identify invariant modules of a temporal and spatial nature, we used a space-by-time decomposition of muscle activity that has been shown to encompass classical modularity models. To examine the decompositions, we focused not only on the amount of variance they explained but also on whether the task performed on each trial could be decoded from the single-trial activations of modules. For the sake of comparison, we confronted these scores to the scores obtained from alternative non-modular descriptions of the muscle data. We found that the space-by-time decomposition was effective in terms of data approximation and task discrimination at comparable reduction of dimensionality. These findings show that few spatial and temporal modules give a compact yet approximate representation of muscle patterns carrying nearly all task-relevant information for a variety of whole-body reaching movements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline M Hilt
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1093, Cognition Action Plasticité Sensorimotrice, Dijon, France.,Italian Institute of Technology CTNSC@UniFe (Center of Translational Neurophysiology for Speech and Communication), Ferrara, Italy
| | - Ioannis Delis
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Thierry Pozzo
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1093, Cognition Action Plasticité Sensorimotrice, Dijon, France.,Italian Institute of Technology CTNSC@UniFe (Center of Translational Neurophysiology for Speech and Communication), Ferrara, Italy
| | - Bastien Berret
- CIAMS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France.,CIAMS, Université d'Orléans, Orléans, France.,Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
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15
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Silva MG, Struber L, Brandão JGT, Daniel O, Nougier V. Influence of dual-task constraints on the interaction between posture and movement during a lower limb pointing task. Exp Brain Res 2018; 236:963-972. [PMID: 29383399 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-018-5189-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Accepted: 01/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
One of the challenges regarding human motor control is making the movement fluid and at a limited cognitive cost. The coordination between posture and movement is a necessary requirement to perform daily life tasks. The present experiment investigated this interaction in 20 adult men, aged 18-30 years. The cognitive costs associated to postural and movement control when kicking towards a target was estimated using a dual-task paradigm (secondary auditory task). Results showed that addition of the attentional demanding cognitive task yielded a decreased kicking accuracy and an increased timing to perform the movement, mainly during the backswing motion. In addition, significant differences between conditions were found for COP and COM displacement (increased amplitude, mean speed) on the anteroposterior axis. However, no significant differences between conditions were found on the mediolateral axis. Finally, EMG analysis showed that dual-task condition modified the way anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) were generated. More specifically, we observed an increase of the peroneus longus activity, whereas the temporal EMG showed a decrease of its latency with respect to movement onset. These results suggested a functional adaptation resulting in an invariance of overall APAs, emphasizing that cognitive, postural, and motor processes worked dependently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Guimarães Silva
- CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, Brasilia, DF, 70040-020, Brazil. .,Laboratorio de Biomecânica, Departamento Mecânica, Campus Guaratinguetá, UNESP-Univ Estadual Paulista, Av. Dr. Ariberto Pereira da Cunha, 333, Guaratinguetá, SP, CEP 12516-410, Brazil. .,Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CHU Grenoble Alpes, TIMC-IMAG, 38000, Grenoble, France.
| | - Lucas Struber
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CHU Grenoble Alpes, TIMC-IMAG, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - José Geraldo T Brandão
- Laboratorio de Biomecânica, Departamento Mecânica, Campus Guaratinguetá, UNESP-Univ Estadual Paulista, Av. Dr. Ariberto Pereira da Cunha, 333, Guaratinguetá, SP, CEP 12516-410, Brazil
| | - Olivier Daniel
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CHU Grenoble Alpes, TIMC-IMAG, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Vincent Nougier
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CHU Grenoble Alpes, TIMC-IMAG, 38000, Grenoble, France
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16
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Grosprêtre S, Ufland P, Jecker D. The adaptation to standing long jump distance in parkour is performed by the modulation of specific variables prior and during take-off. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.1051/sm/2017022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The present study aimed at investigating different variables that can be manipulated prior to and during take-off, to execute a specific standing long jump (SLJ) distance, according to jump expertise in parkour practitioners (= traceurs). Fourteen healthy young traceurs were included and separated into two groups: beginners (BEG) and experts (EXP). Firstly, classical vertical jump battery was used to characterize participants arm use and leg efficiency. Secondly, standing long jump (SLJ) performances were analyzed at four distances: 70, 80, 90, and 100% of each participant’s maximal SLJ distance. The force-time curves of the ground reaction forces (GRF) and the center of pressure (CoP) trajectory were measured with a force platform during the jump impulses. Take-off speed, angle and jump trajectory were estimated. For all of the participants, take-off speed and angle, power output, and vertical GRF during jump preparation (counter movement) varied with distance. The EXP group exhibited greater backward CoP excursion, greater arm participation, greater take-off velocity and a greater modulation of take-off angle than BEG group. When comparing jumps of similar distance, EXP exhibited a more curvilinear trajectory with a higher peak than BEG. To conclude, different motor strategies can be adopted based on the jump distance, and these strategies can evolve as parkour experience increases.
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17
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Macaluso T, Bourdin C, Buloup F, Mille ML, Sainton P, Sarlegna FR, Vercher JL, Bringoux L. Sensorimotor Reorganizations of Arm Kinematics and Postural Strategy for Functional Whole-Body Reaching Movements in Microgravity. Front Physiol 2017; 8:821. [PMID: 29104544 PMCID: PMC5654841 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the impact of weightlessness on human behavior during the forthcoming long-term space missions is of critical importance, especially when considering the efficiency of goal-directed movements in these unusual environments. Several studies provided a large set of evidence that gravity is taken into account during the planning stage of arm reaching movements to optimally anticipate its consequence upon the moving limbs. However, less is known about sensorimotor changes required to face weightless environments when individuals have to perform fast and accurate goal-directed actions with whole-body displacement. We thus aimed at characterizing kinematic features of whole-body reaching movements in microgravity, involving high spatiotemporal constraints of execution, to question whether and how humans are able to maintain the performance of a functional behavior in the standards of normogravity execution. Seven participants were asked to reach as fast and as accurately as possible visual targets while standing during microgravity episodes in parabolic flight. Small and large targets were presented either close or far from the participants (requiring, in the latter case, additional whole-body displacement). Results reported that participants successfully performed the reaching task with general temporal features of movement (e.g., movement speed) close to land observations. However, our analyses also demonstrated substantial kinematic changes related to the temporal structure of focal movement and the postural strategy to successfully perform -constrained- whole-body reaching movements in microgravity. These immediate reorganizations are likely achieved by rapidly taking into account the absence of gravity in motor preparation and execution (presumably from cues about body limbs unweighting). Specifically, when compared to normogravity, the arm deceleration phase substantially increased. Furthermore, greater whole-body forward displacements due to smaller trunk flexions occurred when reaching far targets in microgravity. Remarkably, these changes of focal kinematics and postural strategy appear close to those previously reported when participants performed the same task underwater with neutral buoyancy applied to body limbs. Overall, these novel findings reveal that humans are able to maintain the performance of functional goal-directed whole-body actions in weightlessness by successfully managing spatiotemporal constraints of execution in this unusual environment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Frank Buloup
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, ISM, Marseille, France
| | - Marie-Laure Mille
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, ISM, Marseille, France.,UFR STAPS, Université de Toulon, La Garde, France.,Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
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18
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Macaluso T, Bourdin C, Buloup F, Mille ML, Sainton P, Sarlegna FR, Taillebot V, Vercher JL, Weiss P, Bringoux L. Kinematic features of whole-body reaching movements underwater: Neutral buoyancy effects. Neuroscience 2016; 327:125-35. [PMID: 27095713 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2015] [Revised: 04/08/2016] [Accepted: 04/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Astronauts' training is conventionally performed in a pool to reproduce weightlessness by exploiting buoyancy which is supposed to reduce the impact of gravity on the body. However, this training method has not been scientifically validated yet, and requires first to study the effects of underwater exposure on motor behavior. We examined the influence of neutral buoyancy on kinematic features of whole-body reaching underwater and compared them with those produced on land. Eight professional divers were asked to perform arm reaching movements toward visual targets while standing. Targets were presented either close or far from the subjects (requiring in the latter case an additional whole-body displacement). Reaching movements were performed on land or underwater in two different contexts of buoyancy. The divers either wore a diving suit only with neutral buoyancy applied to their center of mass or were additionally equipped with a submersible simulated space suit with neutral buoyancy applied to their body limbs. Results showed that underwater exposure impacted basic movement features, especially movement speed which was reduced. However, movement kinematics also differed according to the way buoyancy was exerted on the whole-body. When neutral buoyancy was applied to the center of mass only, some focal and postural components of whole-body reaching remained close to land observations, notably when considering the relative deceleration duration of arm elevation and concomitant forward trunk bending when reaching the far target. On the contrary, when neutral buoyancy was exerted on body segments, movement kinematics were close to those reported in weightlessness, as reflected by the arm deceleration phase and the whole-body forward displacement when reaching the far target. These results suggest that astronauts could benefit from the application of neutral buoyancy across the whole-body segments to optimize underwater training and acquire specific motor skills which will be used in space.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Macaluso
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, ISM UMR 7287, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - C Bourdin
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, ISM UMR 7287, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - F Buloup
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, ISM UMR 7287, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - M-L Mille
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, ISM UMR 7287, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France; Université de Toulon, 83957 La Garde, France; Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
| | - P Sainton
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, ISM UMR 7287, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - F R Sarlegna
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, ISM UMR 7287, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - V Taillebot
- COMEX S.A., 36 Bvd des Océans, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - J-L Vercher
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, ISM UMR 7287, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - P Weiss
- COMEX S.A., 36 Bvd des Océans, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - L Bringoux
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, ISM UMR 7287, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France.
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