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Darling WG, Zuck BI. Proprioceptive acuity for locating and controlling movements of a hand-held tool. Neuroscience 2025; 565:211-221. [PMID: 39603401 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.11.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2024] [Revised: 10/15/2024] [Accepted: 11/18/2024] [Indexed: 11/29/2024]
Abstract
We investigated proprioceptive acuity for location and motion of a never seen hand-held tool (30 cm long rod) and the accuracy of movements to place tool parts in the location of remembered visual targets. Ten blindfolded right-handed subjects (5 females) reached with the tool held in the right hand to touch the tip and midpoint to the stationary and moving left index-tip, to the right and left ear lobes and to remembered visual target locations. We also tested accuracy of left hand rod reaches to the ear lobes to determine if rod dimensions and control of tool movements experienced during right hand tool use could be used to accurately localize the rod parts when held in the left hand. Errors for right hand-held rod-tip movements to touch the stationary and moving left index-tip averaged only about 1 cm larger than observed previously for right hand movements to touch its index-tip to the left index-tip. The tool-tip was localized with lower mean distance errors (about 1 cm) than the tool-midpoint (5.5-6.5 cm) when reaching to touch the ear lobes with the rod in right and left hands. Right hand reaches to place the tool- tip and midpoint in remembered visual target locations were inaccurate with large overshoots of close targets and undershoots of far targets, similar to previous reports for reaching with the right hand to remembered visual targets. These results support the distalization hypothesis, that the tool endpoint becomes the effective upper limb endpoint when using the tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warren G Darling
- Department of Health and Human Physiology, Motor Control Laboratory, University of Iowa, 225 S. Grand Avenue, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States.
| | - Bennett I Zuck
- Department of Health and Human Physiology, Motor Control Laboratory, University of Iowa, 225 S. Grand Avenue, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
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Darling WG, Yem J. Acuity of Proprioceptive Localization Varies with Body Region. Neuroscience 2023; 516:100-112. [PMID: 36841275 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023]
Abstract
We accurately sense locations of objects touching various points on the body and, if they are irritants, make accurate rapid movements to remove them. Such movements require accurate proprioception of orientation and motion of the reaching limb and of the target. However, it is unknown whether acuity of these sensations is similar for different points on the body. We investigated accuracy of comfortable speed reaching movements of the right index-tip by 10 subjects (five females) to touch 12 different body locations with and without vision with the body part stationary in different locations and moving in different directions. Reaching movements to points on the face/head and trunk had mean errors averaging less than 0.2 cm greater than under vision conditions. Mean errors for reaches to touch points on the left arm and digits were less accurate (p < 0.05), but average less than 1 cm relative to vision conditions. Mean errors for reaches to touch points on the left lower limb were least accurate (p < 0.05), with mean errors averaging 1.5-3.1 cm relative to movements made with vision. We conclude that there is high proprioceptive acuity for locations of points on axial structures and the left upper limb including the digits, which contrasts with previous reports of greatly distorted proprioceptive maps of the face/head and hand. Apparently low proprioceptive acuity for points on the leg may be task sensitive as many lower limb motor tasks can be performed accurately without vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warren G Darling
- Department of Health and Human Physiology, Motor Control Laboratory, University of Iowa, 225 S Grand Ave, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States.
| | - Joshua Yem
- Department of Health and Human Physiology, Motor Control Laboratory, University of Iowa, 225 S Grand Ave, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
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Coffman CR, Capaday C, Darling WG. Proprioceptive Acuity is Enhanced During Arm Movements Compared to When the Arm is Stationary: A Study of Young and Older Adults. Neuroscience 2021; 466:222-234. [PMID: 33905823 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Proprioception in old age is thought to be poorer due to degeneration of the central (CNS) and peripheral nervous systems (PNS). We tested whether community-dwelling older adults (65-83 years) make larger proprioceptive errors than young adults (18-22 years) using a natural reaching task. Subjects moved the right arm to touch the index fingertip to the stationary or moving left index fingertip. The range of locations of the target index fingertip was large, sampling the natural workspace of the human arm. The target arm was moved actively by the subject or passively by the experimenter and reaching arm movements towards the target were made under visual guidance, or with vision blocked (proprioceptive guidance). Subjects did not know the direction or speed of upcoming target hand motion in the passive conditions. Mean 3D distance errors between the right and left index finger tips were small in both groups and only slightly larger when vision was blocked than when allowed, but averaged 2-5 mm larger in older than in younger adults in moving (p = 0.002) and stationary (p = 0.07) conditions, respectively. Variable errors were small and similar in the two groups (p > 0.35). Importantly, clearly larger errors were observed for reaching to the stationary than to the moving index fingertip in both groups, demonstrating that dynamic proprioceptive information during movement permits more accurate localization of the endpoint of the moving arm. This novel finding demonstrates the importance of dynamic proprioceptive information in movement guidance and bimanual coordination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R Coffman
- Department of Health and Human Physiology Motor Control Laboratory, University of Iowa 225 S Grand Ave, Iowa City, IA 52242 United States
| | - Charles Capaday
- Department of Health and Human Physiology Motor Control Laboratory, University of Iowa 225 S Grand Ave, Iowa City, IA 52242 United States
| | - Warren G Darling
- Department of Health and Human Physiology Motor Control Laboratory, University of Iowa 225 S Grand Ave, Iowa City, IA 52242 United States.
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Ettinger L, Ostrander T. Gravitational torque partially accounts for proprioceptive acuity. Hum Mov Sci 2018; 62:41-47. [PMID: 30236590 DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2018.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Revised: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Proprioception of the upper extremity is commonly measured using joint position sense tasks. Recent evidence suggests heightened position sense at elevation angles in the shoulder and elbow near 90° in the sagittal plane. The influence of external torque has been suggested to play a pivotal role in the heightened acuity in elevated positions due to increased moment arm with respect to gravitational vectors. We hypothesized that the addition of a buoyance vector in opposition to this gravitational vector would reduce the influence of torque on proprioceptive acuity, resulting in consistent position sense errors with respect to elevation angle. Joint position sense was measured using an apple iPod touch using a custom application. Participants elevated their arm to 50, 70 and 90° of elevation in the sagittal plane in the absence of visual feedback. Data were collected in three conditions, normal (control) and submerged and weighted. We found angular differences between control and submerged conditions, but not between control and weighted conditions. When the arm was elevated to 90° in the submerged condition, we found participants undershot the target position by approximately -0.5° with the addition of the buoyancy force vector. Participants without this buoyancy vector at the same target position consistently overshot the target by approximately 2.0°, which suggests that external torque may be more involved in the direction of proprioceptive errors more than the magnitude of the error as the magnitude of the difference was relatively small (2.5°).
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Darling WG, Wall BM, Coffman CR, Capaday C. Pointing to One's Moving Hand: Putative Internal Models Do Not Contribute to Proprioceptive Acuity. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:177. [PMID: 29867407 PMCID: PMC5962794 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
We can easily and without sight bring our fingertip to our nose, or swat a mosquito on our arm. These actions rely on proprioception, also known as kinesthesia, which classically has been attributed to processing of sensory inflow by the CNS. However, internal model theories of sensorimotor neuroscience propose that proprioceptive localization also involves a contribution from estimates of limb kinematics derived from motor commands. We tested this prediction in 19 subjects who moved the right index finger tip to touch the moving left index finger tip under three conditions: (1) vision allowed, active movement of the left hand (2) vision blocked, active movement of the left hand, and (3) vision blocked, passive movement of the left hand imposed by the experimenter. The target left index finger tip was moved in a wide range of directions by unrestricted movements of the arm. Mean errors in apposition of the right to the left index finger tips were small, averaging <2 cm between sensors fixed to the finger nails. Note that the average distance between the sensors was ~1.7 cm when the fingertips were brought together in “perfect” apposition under visual guidance. The 3D mean distance and variable distance errors were marginally lower by some 2 mm with eyes open compared to the eyes closed active condition. However, mean distance and variable distance errors did not differ between the active and passive conditions with eyes closed. Thus, proprioceptive localization of one's moving hand is very accurate, essentially as accurate as when vision is allowed. More importantly, our results demonstrate that hypothesized internal model derived estimates of arm kinematics do not contribute to localization accuracy beyond that provided by sensory signals, casting doubt on their existence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warren G Darling
- Motor Control Laboratories, Department of Health and Human Physiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Brian M Wall
- Motor Control Laboratories, Department of Health and Human Physiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Chris R Coffman
- Motor Control Laboratories, Department of Health and Human Physiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Charles Capaday
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Bernstein Focus Neurotechnology Göttingen, Institute of Neurorehabilitation Engineering, Universitätsmedizin Göttingen, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany
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Ettinger LR, Boucher A, Simonovich E. Patients with type 2 diabetes demonstrate proprioceptive deficit in the knee. World J Diabetes 2018; 9:59-65. [PMID: 29607003 PMCID: PMC5876505 DOI: 10.4239/wjd.v9.i3.59] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Revised: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/27/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM To investigate proprioceptive discrepancies in the lower extremity in persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
METHODS In this cross-sectional study, a total of 46 older persons were divided into a T2DM group (n = 23) and a control group who did not have T2DM (n = 23). Participants were given a brief warm up with stretching exercises. Diabetic neuropathy scores were collected prior to proprioceptive testing. For proprioceptive testing, participants performed leg extensions to randomized target positions of 15°, 30°, 45, 60° degrees of elevation in the sagittal plane, each target was repeated a total of four times. Subjects were guided to target positions in the absence of visual feedback via auditory cues from a custom JPS application. When the participant entered the target position, they memorized the location of their limb in space and subsequently attempted to re-locate this position in space. Proprioceptive errors were measured from the target positioned, target remembered, target repositioned protocol.
RESULTS Proprioceptive accuracy was lower in the diabetic group at all levels of target angle than the control group (P < 0.05). The diabetic group had 46% greater inaccuracy than the control group at all levels of target position. Diabetics also reported greater neuropathy scores than controls in the past 12 mo P < 0.01.
CONCLUSION Deficits in lower limb localization and greater diabetic neuropathy scores were identified in this study. Our findings may be associated with deafferentation as peripheral neuropathy is a common complication with the disease. These findings may help to explain the declining balance function in the older persons with T2DM which is also commonly reported.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ami Boucher
- Department of Exercise Science, Willamette University, Salem, OR 97302, United States
| | - Elisabeth Simonovich
- Department of Exercise Science, Willamette University, Salem, OR 97302, United States
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Aminiaghdam S, Rode C. Effects of altered sagittal trunk orientation on kinetic pattern in able-bodied walking on uneven ground. Biol Open 2017; 6:1000-1007. [PMID: 28559427 PMCID: PMC5550913 DOI: 10.1242/bio.025239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2017] [Accepted: 05/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of disturbed human locomotion often focus on the dynamics of the gait when either posture, movement or surface is perturbed. Yet, the interaction effects of variation of trunk posture and ground level on kinetic behaviour of able-bodied gait have not been explored. For 12 participants we investigated the kinetic behaviour, as well as velocity and contact time, across four steps including an unperturbed step on level ground, pre-perturbation, perturbation (10-cm drop) and post-perturbation steps while walking with normal speed with four postures: regular erect, with 30°, 50° and maximal sagittal trunk flexion (70°). Two-way repeated measures ANOVAs detected significant interactions of posture×step for the second peak of the vertical ground reaction force (GRF), propulsive impulse, contact time and velocity. An increased trunk flexion was associated with a systematic decrease of the second GRF peak during all steps and with a decreased contact time and an increased velocity across steps, except for the perturbation step. Pre-adaptations were more pronounced in the approach step to the drop in regular erect gait. With increased trunk flexion, walking on uneven ground exhibited reduced changes in GRF kinetic parameters relative to upright walking. It seems that in trunk-flexed gaits the trunk is used in a compensatory way during the step-down to accommodate changes in ground level by adjusting its angle leading to lower variations in centre of mass height. Exploitation of this mechanism resembles the ability of small birds in adjusting their zig-zag-like configured legs to cope with changes in ground level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soran Aminiaghdam
- Department of Motion Science, Institute of Sport Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Seidelstraße 20, Jena 07740, Germany
| | - Christian Rode
- Department of Motion Science, Institute of Sport Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Seidelstraße 20, Jena 07740, Germany
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Suprak DN, Sahlberg JD, Chalmers GR, Cunningham W. Shoulder elevation affects joint position sense and muscle activation differently in upright and supine body orientations. Hum Mov Sci 2016; 46:148-58. [PMID: 26784707 DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2016.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2015] [Accepted: 01/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Investigate the effects of shoulder elevation on repositioning errors in upright and supine body orientations, and examine these effects on anterior and posterior deltoid muscle activation. We hypothesized decreased errors, and altered anterior and posterior deltoid activation with increasing elevation, in both orientations. DESIGN Crossover trial. SETTING University laboratory. PARTICIPANTS Thirty-five college-aged participants. INTERVENTION Subjects attempted to replicate target positions of various elevation angles in upright and supine body orientations. Also, anterior and posterior deltoid activation was recorded in each shoulder position and body orientation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Vector and variable repositioning errors, anterior and posterior deltoid percentage of maximal contraction. RESULTS Vector error was greater in supine compared to upright at 90° and 110°, but not at 70°. Variable error was larger in supine than upright, but was unaffected by elevation. Anterior deltoid activation increased with elevation in the upright posture only. Posterior deltoid activation increased with elevation across postures. CONCLUSIONS Muscle activation, external torque, and cutaneous sensations may combine to provide afferent feedback, and be used with centrally-generated signals to interpret the state of the limb during movement. Clinicians may prescribe open kinetic chain exercises in the upright posture with the shoulder elevated approximately 90-100°.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N Suprak
- Department of Health and Human Development, Western Washington University, United States.
| | - Jordan D Sahlberg
- Department of Health and Human Development, Western Washington University, United States
| | - Gordon R Chalmers
- Department of Health and Human Development, Western Washington University, United States
| | - Wren Cunningham
- Department of Health and Human Development, Western Washington University, United States
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King J, Harding E, Karduna A. The shoulder and elbow joints and right and left sides demonstrate similar joint position sense. J Mot Behav 2013; 45:479-86. [PMID: 24079516 DOI: 10.1080/00222895.2013.832136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Proper orientation of the shoulder and elbow is necessary for accurate and precise positioning of the hand. The authors' goal was to compare these joints with an active joint position sense task, while also taking into account the effects of joint flexion angle and arm dominance. Fifteen healthy subjects were asked to replicate presented joint angles with a single degree of freedom active positioning protocol. There were no significant differences in angular joint position sense errors with respect to joint (shoulder vs. elbow) and side (left vs. right). However, when considering linear positioning, errors were lower for the elbow, due to a shorter lever arm. Also, as flexion angles increased toward 90°, there was a consistent pattern of lower errors for both joints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqlyn King
- a Department of Human Physiology , University of Oregon , Eugene
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Byrne PA, Henriques DYP. When more is less: increasing allocentric visual information can switch visual-proprioceptive combination from an optimal to sub-optimal process. Neuropsychologia 2012; 51:26-37. [PMID: 23142707 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2012] [Revised: 08/16/2012] [Accepted: 10/05/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
When reaching for an object in the environment, the brain often has access to multiple independent estimates of that object's location. For example, if someone places their coffee cup on a table, then later they know where it is because they see it, but also because they remember how their reaching limb was oriented when they placed the cup. Intuitively, one would expect more accurate reaches if either of these estimates were improved (e.g., if a light were turned on so the cup were more visible). It is now well-established that the brain tends to combine two or more estimates about the same stimulus as a maximum-likelihood estimator (MLE), which is the best thing to do when estimates are unbiased. Even in the presence of small biases, relying on the MLE rule is still often better than choosing a single estimate. For this work, we designed a reaching task in which human subjects could integrate proprioceptive and allocentric (landmark-relative) visual information to reach for a remembered target. Even though both of these modalities contain some level of bias, we demonstrate via simulation that our subjects should use an MLE rule in preference to relying on one modality or the other in isolation. Furthermore, we show that when visual information is poor, subjects do, indeed, combine information in this way. However, when we improve the quality of visual information, subjects counter-intuitively switch to a sub-optimal strategy that occasionally includes reliance on a single modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick A Byrne
- Centre for Vision Research, Science, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, Canada M3J 1P3.
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11
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Shoulder position sense during passive matching and active positioning tasks in individuals with anterior shoulder instability. Phys Ther 2012; 92:563-73. [PMID: 22228608 DOI: 10.2522/ptj.20110236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Altered neuromuscular control due to compromised joint position sense may contribute to recurrent shoulder instability. OBJECTIVE The purpose of the present study was to examine whether individuals with anterior shoulder instability exhibit larger shoulder position sense errors than those with healthy shoulders in both passive matching and active positioning. DESIGN This was a between-groups study with repeated measures. METHODS Ten people with anterior shoulder instability and 15 people with healthy shoulders participated in the study. Shoulder position sense was examined with 3 different protocols (passive motion to remembered shoulder rotation angles and active shoulder abduction and rotation to verbally specified positions) in positions of both mid-range and end-range of motion. RESULTS Participants with unstable shoulders exhibited significantly larger errors (by 1.8° on average) in perception of shoulder position compared with those with healthy shoulders during passive matching. During active positioning, participants with unstable shoulders were able to voluntarily move the shoulder to verbally specified angles as accurately as those with healthy shoulders in both abduction (0.85° difference) and rotation (0.99° difference) tasks. CONCLUSIONS Results of this study indicate that people with unstable shoulders can perceive shoulder angles as accurately as people with healthy shoulders in activities with voluntary arm movements. Compared with passive matching, better information from muscle spindles and other sources during voluntary arm movements may compensate for the potential joint position sense deficits after the injury. Therefore, individuals with an unstable shoulder may have adequate neuromuscular control to engage proper protective mechanisms to stabilize the shoulder joint during functional activities.
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Rincon-Gonzalez L, Warren JP, Meller DM, Tillery SH. Haptic interaction of touch and proprioception: implications for neuroprosthetics. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2012; 19:490-500. [PMID: 21984518 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2011.2166808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Somatosensation is divided into multiple discrete modalities that we think of separably: e.g., tactile, proprioceptive, and temperature sensation. However, in processes such as haptics,those modalities all interact. If one intended to artificially generate a sensation that could be used for stereognosis, for example, it would be crucial to understand these interactions. We are presently examining the relationship between tactile and proprioceptive modalities in this context. In this overview of some of our recent work, we show that signals that would normally be attributed to two of these systems separately, tactile contact and self-movement, interact both perceptually and physiologically in ways that complicate the understanding of haptic processing. In the first study described here, we show that a tactile illusion on the fingertips, the cutaneous rabbit effect, can be abolished by changing the posture of the fingers. We then discuss activity in primary somatosensory cortical neurons illustrating the interrelationship of tactile and postural signals. In this study, we used a robot-enhanced virtual environment to show that many neurons in primary somatosensory cortex with cutaneous receptive fields encode elements both of tactile contact and self-motion. We then show the results of studies examining the structure of the process which extracts the spatial location of the hand from proprioceptive signals. The structure of the spatial errors in these maps indicates that the proprioceptive-spatial map is stable but individually constructed.These seemingly disparate studies lead us to suggest that tactile sensation is encoded in a 2-D map, but one which undergoes continual dynamic modification by an underlying proprioceptive map. Understanding how the disparate signals that comprise the somatosensory system are processed to produce sensation is an important step in realizing the kind of seamless integration aspired to in neuroprosthetics.
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Goble DJ, Noble BC, Brown SH. Where was my arm again? Memory-based matching of proprioceptive targets is enhanced by increased target presentation time. Neurosci Lett 2010; 481:54-8. [PMID: 20600603 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2010.06.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2010] [Revised: 05/07/2010] [Accepted: 06/21/2010] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Our sense of proprioception is vital for the successful performance of most activities of daily living, and memory-based joint position matching (JPM) tasks are often utilized to quantify such proprioceptive abilities. In the present study we sought to determine if matching a remembered proprioceptive target angle was influenced significantly by the length of time given to develop a neural representation of that position. Thirteen healthy adult subjects performed active matching of passively determined elbow joint angles (amplitude = 20 degrees or 40 degrees extension) in the absence of vision, with either a relatively "short" (3 s) or "long" (12 s) target presentation time. In the long condition, where subjects had a greater opportunity to develop an internal representation of the target elbow joint angle, matching movements had significantly smaller variable errors and were associated with smoother matching movement trajectories of a shorter overall duration. Taken together, these findings provide an important proprioceptive corollary for previous results obtained in studies of visually-guided reaching suggesting that increased exposure to target sensory stimuli can improve the accuracy of matching performance. Further, these results appear to be of particular importance with respect to the estimation of proprioceptive function in individuals with disability, who typically have increased noise in their proprioceptive systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Goble
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA.
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Durgin FH, Hajnal A, Li Z, Tonge N, Stigliani A. Palm boards are not action measures: an alternative to the two-systems theory of geographical slant perception. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2010; 134:182-97. [PMID: 20176342 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2010.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2009] [Revised: 01/25/2010] [Accepted: 01/27/2010] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Whereas most reports of the perception of outdoor hills demonstrate dramatic overestimation, estimates made by adjusting a palm board are much closer to the true hill orientation. We test the dominant hypothesis that palm board accuracy is related to the need for motor action to be accurately guided and conclude instead that the perceptual experience of palm-board orientation is biased and variable due to poorly calibrated proprioception of wrist flexion. Experiments 1 and 3 show that wrist-flexion palm boards grossly underestimate the orientations of near, reachable surfaces whereas gesturing with a free hand is fairly accurate. Experiment 2 shows that palm board estimates are much lower than free hand estimates for an outdoor hill as well. Experiments 4 shows that wrist flexion is biased and noisy compared to elbow flexion, while Experiment 5 shows that small changes in palm board height produce large changes in palm board estimates. Together, these studies suggest that palm boards are biased and insensitive measures. The existing literature arguing that there are two systems in the perception of geographical slant is re-evaluated, and a new theoretical framework is proposed in which a single exaggerated representation of ground-surface orientation guides both action and perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank H Durgin
- Department of Psychology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081, United States.
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Lejeune L, Thouvarecq R, Anderson DJ, Caston J, Jouen F. Kinaesthetic and visual perceptions of orientations. Perception 2010; 38:988-1001. [PMID: 19764301 DOI: 10.1068/p6132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
In the present study we compare the kinaesthetic and visual perception of the vertical and horizontal orientations (subjective vertical and subjective horizontal) to determine whether the perception of cardinal orientations is amodal or modality-specific. The influence of methodological factors on the accuracy of perception is also investigated by varying the stimulus position as a function of its initial tilt (clockwise or counterclockwise) and its angle (22 degrees, 45 degrees, 67 degrees, and 90 degrees) in respect to its physical orientation. Ten participants estimated the vertical and horizontal orientations by repositioning a rod in the kinaesthetic condition or two luminous points, forming a 'virtual line' in the visual condition. Results within the visual modality replicated previous findings by showing that estimation of the physical orientations is very accurate regardless of the initial position of the virtual line. In contrast, the perception of orientation with the kinaesthetic modality was less accurate and systematically influenced by the angle between the initial position of the rod and the required orientation. The findings question the assumption that the subjective vertical is derived from an internal representation of gravity and highlight the necessity of taking into account methodological factors in studies on subjective orientations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laure Lejeune
- Information, Organisation et Action, EA 4260, UFR STAPS, University of Caen Basse Normandie, 14032 Caen Cedex, France.
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Chapman J, Suprak DN, Karduna AR. Unconstrained shoulder joint position sense does not change with body orientation. J Orthop Res 2009; 27:885-90. [PMID: 19072986 DOI: 10.1002/jor.20813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Our knowledge of the role of muscle activation on proprioception is incomplete. Previous work has either focused on comparing active and passive motions or manipulated both muscle activation and joint angles simultaneously. We conducted an experiment at the shoulder in which subjects' trunks were tilted backwards to decouple joint angle from joint torque. Twenty three healthy subjects underwent testing in an unconstrained joint position sense task. Kinematics were measured with a magnetic tracking device. The joint position sense task consisted of subjects moving their arms to a predetermined orientation in space with the help of visual feedback from the magnetic tracking device presented to the subjects through a head-mounted display. Subjects were then asked to reproduce the presented joint position in the absence of visual feedback. The protocol was performed under two tilts: upright and trunk tilted back 45 degrees. This allowed for a comparison of joint position sense at different joint angles (at the same resistive torque) and at different resistive torques (at the same joint angles). When comparing these two tilts, we found that matching based on elevation angle demonstrated no significant difference, while matching based on torques did find differences. These results implicate elevation angle at the shoulder as playing a more important role in modulating joint position sense than joint torque.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Chapman
- Department of Health, Physical Education and Dance, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA
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Suprak DN, Osternig LR, van Donkelaar P, Karduna AR. Shoulder joint position sense improves with elevation angle in a novel, unconstrained task. J Orthop Res 2006; 24:559-68. [PMID: 16463364 DOI: 10.1002/jor.20095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Proprioception, encompassing the submodalities of kinesthesia and joint position sense, is important in the maintenance of joint stability, especially in the shoulder. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of plane and elevation angle on unconstrained shoulder joint position sense. Twenty-two subjects (12 male, 10 female) without a history of shoulder pathology were recruited from a university campus. Subjects attempted to replicate, with respect to plane and elevation angles, various target positions. Target positions consisted of five plane angles at 90 degrees of arm elevation and five arm elevation angles in the scapular plane. All target positions were tested twice to assess the reliability of the measurement. Intraclass correlation coefficients were generally low across target positions, possibly owing to the novelty and demanding nature of the task. No differences in repositioning errors were observed between plane angles (p = 0.255). Repositioning errors decreased linearly as the elevation angle increased from 30 degrees to 90 degrees (p = 0.007) and increased again from 90 degrees to 110 degrees of elevation (p = 0.029). Our results suggest that unconstrained joint position sense may be enhanced with increased muscular activation levels. Further, afferent feedback from musculotendinous mechanoreceptors may dominate over that from capsuloligamentous sources in unconstrained movements.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N Suprak
- Department of Human Physiology, 1240 University of Oregon, Esslinger 122, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-1240, USA
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Prieur JM, Bourdin C, Vercher JL, Sarès F, Blouin J, Gauthier GM. Accuracy of spatial localization depending on head posture in a perturbed gravitoinertial force field. Exp Brain Res 2004; 161:432-40. [PMID: 15578170 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-004-2087-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2003] [Accepted: 07/27/2004] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Spatial orientation is crucial when subjects have to accurately reach memorized visual targets. In previous studies modified gravitoinertial force fields were used to affect the accuracy of pointing movements in complete darkness without visual feedback of the moving limb. Target mislocalization was put forward as one hypothesis to explain this decrease in accuracy of pointing movements. The aim of this study was to test this hypothesis by determining the accuracy of spatial localization of memorized visual targets in a perturbed gravitoinertial force field. As head orientation is involved in localization tasks and carrying relevant sensory systems (visual, vestibular and neck muscle proprioceptive), we also tested the effect of head posture on the accuracy of localization. Subjects (n=10) were seated off-axis on a rotating platform (120 degrees s(-1)) in complete darkness with the head fixed (head-fixed session) or free to move (head-free session). They were required to report verbally the egocentric spatial localization of visual memorized targets. They gave the perceived target location in direction (i.e. left or right) and in amplitude (in centimeters) relative to the direction they thought to be straight ahead. Results showed that the accuracy of visual localization decreased when subjects were exposed to inertial forces. Moreover, subjects localized the memorized visual targets more to the right than their actual position, that was in the direction of the inertial forces. With further analysis, it appeared that this shift of localization was concomitant with a shift of the visual straight ahead (VSA) in the opposite direction. Thus, the modified gravitoinertial force field led to a modification in the orientation of the egocentric reference frame. Furthermore, this shift of localization increased when the head was free to move while the head was tilted in roll toward the center of rotation of the platform and turned in yaw in the same direction. It is concluded that the orientation of the egocentric reference frame was influenced by the gravitoinertial vector.
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Affiliation(s)
- J-M Prieur
- Faculté des Sciences du Sport, UMR 6152 Mouvement and Perception, CNRS and Université de la Méditerranée, 163 av. de Luminy, CP 910, 13288, Marseille cedex 09, France.
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19
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Guerraz M, Blouin J, Vercher JL. From head orientation to hand control: evidence of both neck and vestibular involvement in hand drawing. Exp Brain Res 2003; 150:40-9. [PMID: 12698215 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-003-1411-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2002] [Accepted: 01/22/2003] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
This research investigated the effect of head to trunk relation in a sensorimotor drawing task. In the first experiment, seated participants were asked to reproduce with eyes closed geometric shapes (square or diamond) with the tip of their right index finger in the frontoparallel plane. Their head was either aligned with the trunk or tilted 25 degrees towards the left or right shoulder. Results showed that drawings were subjected to an overall rotation of a few degrees in the opposite direction to the tilt. In two subsequent experiments, the respective contribution of both otoliths and neck receptors to this head tilt effect was investigated. In Experiment 2, seated participants kept their head straight but were subjected to 2.5 mA vestibular galvanic stimulation (GVS). Results indicated that GVS induced a small but significant deviation of the drawings towards the anode. Finally, in Experiment 3, subjects performed the drawing task either seated upright (seated condition) or lying on their back (supine condition). Unlike in the seated condition, tilting the head towards the shoulders in a supine posture does not modulate afferents from the otolith stimulation and therefore mainly stimulates neck receptors. Head tilt induced rotations of hand-drawn reproductions in both seated and supine conditions, suggesting a significant contribution of neck afferents in the control of hand motion in space in the absence of vision. Overall the data provided evidence for a strong head-hand linkage during kinaesthetically guided drawing movements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Guerraz
- UMR Mouvement and Perception, CNRS et Université de la Méditerranée, 163 avenue de Luminy, Case Postale 910, 13288 Marseille Cedex 9, France.
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Darling WG, Bartelt R. Kinesthetic perception of visually specified axes. Exp Brain Res 2003; 149:40-7. [PMID: 12592502 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-002-1333-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2002] [Accepted: 10/24/2002] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to determine whether human subjects could align the forearm more accurately to the orientation of an external object than to earth-fixed vertical and trunk-fixed anterior-posterior (a-p) axes. Ten young adults aligned the unseen forearm to earth-fixed vertical and trunk-fixed a-p axes, and to a visually presented rod (external visual axis) held by an experimenter in various oblique vertical and horizontal orientations. The head and trunk orientations were varied by left/right lateral flexion when aligning the forearm to vertical plane axes and by rotation about the vertical axis when aligning the forearm to horizontal plane axes. Perceptual errors for aligning the forearm to vertical plane axes were much lower when aligning the forearm to earth-fixed vertical than to an external visual axis positioned in a vertical plane. Furthermore, the perceptual errors for aligning the forearm to the visually presented rod were correlated with rod orientation while errors for aligning the forearm to vertical while viewing the rod were unaffected by rod orientations. Clearly, human subjects cannot use an oblique external visually presented axis to provide a frame of reference for accurate perception of forearm orientation in vertical planes. Perceptual errors were similar for aligning the forearm to the horizontal trunk-fixed a-p axis and external visual axis when head and trunk orientation were varied. These perceptual errors were not correlated with rod orientation in the horizontal plane, giving no evidence of bias toward the trunk or external visual axis in horizontal plane perception of forearm orientation. Thus, humans can use either the trunk-fixed a-p axis or the visually specified orientation of an external object as a frame of reference for the kinesthetic system to specify forearm orientation in the horizontal plane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warren G Darling
- Department of Exercise Science, The University of Iowa, 52242, Iowa City, IA, USA,
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Abstract
Two experiments were conducted in order to determine the patterns of transfer of visuomotor adaptation between arm and head pointing. An altered gain of display of pointing movements was used to induce a conflict between visual and somatosensory representations. Two subject groups participated in Experiment 1: group 1 adapted shoulder pointing movements, and group 2 adapted wrist pointing movements to a 0.5 gain of display. Following the adaptation regimen, subjects performed a transfer test in which the shoulder group performed wrist movements and the wrist group performed shoulder movements. The results demonstrated that both groups displayed typical adaptation curves, initially undershooting the target followed by a return to baseline performance. Transfer tests revealed that both groups had high transfer of the acquired adaptation to the other joint. Experiment 2 followed a similar design except that group 1 adapted head pointing movements and group 2 adapted arm pointing movements. The arm adaptation had high transfer to head pointing while the head adaptation had very little transfer to arm pointing. These results imply that, while the arm segments may share a common target representation for goal-directed actions, individual but functionally dependent target representations may exist for the control of head and arm movements.
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Affiliation(s)
- R D Seidler
- Motor Control Laboratory, ESPE Department, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 870404, Tempe, AZ 85287-0404, USA
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Grasso R, Zago M, Lacquaniti F. Interactions between posture and locomotion: motor patterns in humans walking with bent posture versus erect posture. J Neurophysiol 2000; 83:288-300. [PMID: 10634872 DOI: 10.1152/jn.2000.83.1.288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Human erect locomotion is unique among living primates. Evolution selected specific biomechanical features that make human locomotion mechanically efficient. These features are matched by the motor patterns generated in the CNS. What happens when humans walk with bent postures? Are normal motor patterns of erect locomotion maintained or completely reorganized? Five healthy volunteers walked straight and forward at different speeds in three different postures (regular, knee-flexed, and knee- and trunk-flexed) while their motion, ground reaction forces, and electromyographic (EMG) activity were recorded. The three postures imply large differences in the position of the center of body mass relative to the body segments. The elevation angles of the trunk, pelvis, and lower limb segments relative to the vertical in the sagittal plane, the ground reaction forces and the rectified EMGs were analyzed over the gait cycle. The waveforms of the elevation angles along the gait cycle remained essentially unchanged irrespective of the adopted postures. The first two harmonics of these kinematic waveforms explain >95% of their variance. The phase shift but not the amplitude ratio between the first harmonic of the elevation angle waveforms of adjacent pairs was affected systematically by changes in posture. Thigh, shank, and foot angles covaried close to a plane in all conditions, but the plane orientation was systematically different in bent versus erect locomotion. This was explained by the changes in the temporal coupling among the three segments. For walking speeds >1 m s(-1), the plane orientation of bent locomotion indicates a much lower mechanical efficiency relative to erect locomotion. Ground reaction forces differed prominently in bent versus erect posture displaying characteristics intermediate between those typical of walking and those of running. Mean EMG activity was greater in bent postures for all recorded muscles independent of the functional role. The waveforms of the muscle activities and muscle synergies also were affected by the adopted posture. We conclude that maintaining bent postures does not interfere either with the generation of segmental kinematic waveforms or with the planar constraint of intersegmental covariation. These characteristics are maintained at the expense of adjustments in kinetic parameters, muscle synergies and the temporal coupling among the oscillating body segments. We argue that an integrated control of gait and posture is made possible because these two motor functions share some common principles of spatial organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Grasso
- Human Physiology Section of the Scientific Institute Santa Lucia and the University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00179 Rome, Italy
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