Interdisciplinary-Integration-Interface: The Past, Present, and Future of Biomechanics

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-37
Author(s):  
Robert J. Gregor ◽  
W. Lee Childers ◽  
Mark A. Lyle ◽  
Linda Fetters

Biomechanics is a diverse field of study founded in a vertically integrated body of knowledge, from cells to behavior, with the goal of understanding the function of biological systems using methods in mechanics. Historically, the field lies in the general domain of science, not to be isolated but well integrated with others focused on the study of movement. Using advances in technology as a conduit, specific examples of collaborative research involving biomechanics, motor development, and neuromuscular control are discussed. Challenges in the study of interface control (i.e., hypotheses focused on the neural control of movement, performance enhancement, and injury prevention) are presented in the context of the intellectual interface required among scientists to gain a new understanding of the function of biological systems.

Author(s):  
Mark L. Latash

A number of notions in the fields of motor control and kinesthetic perception have been used without clear definitions. In this review, we consider definitions for efference copy, percept, and sense of effort based on recent studies within the physical approach, which assumes that the neural control of movement is based on principles of parametric control and involves defining time-varying profiles of spatial referent coordinates for the effectors. The apparent redundancy in both motor and perceptual processes is reconsidered based on the principle of abundance. Abundance of efferent and afferent signals is viewed as the means of stabilizing both salient action characteristics and salient percepts formalized as stable manifolds in high-dimensional spaces of relevant elemental variables. This theoretical scheme has led recently to a number of novel predictions and findings. These include, in particular, lower accuracy in perception of variables produced by elements involved in a multi-element task compared to the same elements in single-element tasks, dissociation between motor and perceptual effects of muscle co-activation, force illusions induced by muscle vibration, and errors in perception of unintentional drifts in performance. Taken together, these results suggest that participation of efferent signals in perception frequently involves distorted copies of actual neural commands, particularly those to antagonist muscles. Sense of effort is associated with such distorted efferent signals. Distortions in efference copy happen spontaneously and can also be caused by changes in sensory signals, e.g., those produced by muscle vibration.


2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (9) ◽  
pp. 1221-1230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anuschka S Niemeijer ◽  
Marina M Schoemaker ◽  
Bouwien CM Smits-Engelsman

Abstract Background and Purpose. Physical therapists' teaching skills often are disregarded in research studies. We examined whether the use of different teaching principles during neuromotor task training was associated with treatment effects. Subjects. Nineteen children (mean age=7 years 5 months, range=5–10 years) who had developmental coordination disorder and who performed below the 15th percentile on the age-related Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC) and 11 physical therapists participated in the study. Methods. One intervention session for each child was videotaped. The frequency of the use of principles included in the motor teaching principles taxonomy (Niemeijer et al, 2003) was correlated with changes in motor performance on the M-ABC and the second edition of the Test of Gross Motor Development. Results. Providing clues on how to perform a task, asking children about a task, and explaining why a movement should be executed in a certain way were related to better movement performance. Discussion and Conclusion. Teaching principles may be associated with success in therapeutic situations.


2004 ◽  
Vol 96 (4) ◽  
pp. 1478-1485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter B. C. Matthews

The history of the investigation of the sensorimotor control of movement is outlined from its inception at the beginning of the 19th century. Particular emphasis is placed on the opening up of new possibilities by the development of new techniques, from chronophotography to magnetic brain stimulation, all of which have exploited developments in technology. Extrapolating from history, future advance in physiological understanding can be guaranteed to require seizing the new tools provided by the physical sciences and refining these to our particular need. The ever-present danger is that these are then deployed with triumphal optimism rather than critical doubt and earlier methods either jettisoned prematurely or used incautiously. The new techniques have enabled experimentation to become ever less intrusive, permitting a progressive shift from animal to human work, thereby offering the prospect of an increasing clinical reward.


2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (10) ◽  
pp. 1015-1027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan E. Bunderson ◽  
Jeffrey T. Bingham ◽  
M. Hongchul Sohn ◽  
Lena H. Ting ◽  
Thomas J. Burkholder

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 415-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan T. Roemmich ◽  
Amy J. Bastian

The fields of human motor control, motor learning, and neurorehabilitation have long been linked by the intuition that understanding how we move (and learn to move) leads to better rehabilitation. In reality, these fields have remained largely separate. Our knowledge of the neural control of movement has expanded, but principles that can directly impact rehabilitation efficacy remain somewhat sparse. This raises two important questions: What can basic studies of motor learning really tell us about rehabilitation, and are we asking the right questions to improve the lives of patients? This review aims to contextualize recent advances in computational and behavioral studies of human motor learning within the framework of neurorehabilitation. We also discuss our views of the current challenges facing rehabilitation and outline potential clinical applications from recent theoretical and basic studies of motor learning and control.


2002 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
H Bekkering ◽  
S.F.W Neggers

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