scholarly journals Robustness of muscle synergies underlying three-dimensional force generation at the hand in healthy humans

2012 ◽  
Vol 107 (8) ◽  
pp. 2123-2142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinsook Roh ◽  
William Z. Rymer ◽  
Randall F. Beer
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Matrix Factorization ◽  
Isometric Force ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Movement Control ◽  
Force Generation ◽  
Muscle Synergy ◽  
Muscle Synergies ◽  
Healthy Humans ◽  
Isometric Forces

Previous studies using advanced matrix factorization techniques have shown that the coordination of human voluntary limb movements may be accomplished using combinations of a small number of intermuscular coordination patterns, or muscle synergies. However, the potential use of muscle synergies for isometric force generation has been evaluated mostly using correlational methods. The results of such studies suggest that fixed relationships between the activations of pairs of muscles are relatively rare. There is also emerging evidence that the nervous system uses independent strategies to control movement and force generation, which suggests that one cannot conclude a priori that isometric force generation is accomplished by combining muscle synergies, as shown in movement control. In this study, we used non-negative matrix factorization to evaluate the ability of a few muscle synergies to reconstruct the activation patterns of human arm muscles underlying the generation of three-dimensional (3-D) isometric forces at the hand. Surface electromyographic (EMG) data were recorded from eight key elbow and shoulder muscles during 3-D force target-matching protocols performed across a range of load levels and hand positions. Four synergies were sufficient to explain, on average, 95% of the variance in EMG datasets. Furthermore, we found that muscle synergy composition was conserved across biomechanical task conditions, experimental protocols, and subjects. Our findings are consistent with the view that the nervous system can generate isometric forces by assembling a combination of a small number of muscle synergies, differentially weighted according to task constraints.

scholarly journals Alterations in upper limb muscle synergy structure in chronic stroke survivors

2013 ◽  
Vol 109 (3) ◽  
pp. 768-781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinsook Roh ◽  
William Z. Rymer ◽  
Eric J. Perreault ◽  
Seng Bum Yoo ◽  
Randall F. Beer
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Isometric Force ◽  
Muscle Synergy ◽  
Muscle Synergies ◽  
Stroke Survivors ◽  
Activation Patterns ◽  
Force Matching ◽  
Muscle Activation Patterns ◽  
Anterior Deltoid ◽  
Arm Function

Previous studies in neurologically intact subjects have shown that motor coordination can be described by task-dependent combinations of a few muscle synergies, defined here as a fixed pattern of activation across a set of muscles. Arm function in severely impaired stroke survivors is characterized by stereotypical postural and movement patterns involving the shoulder and elbow. Accordingly, we hypothesized that muscle synergy composition is altered in severely impaired stroke survivors. Using an isometric force matching protocol, we examined the spatial activation patterns of elbow and shoulder muscles in the affected arm of 10 stroke survivors (Fugl-Meyer <25/66) and in both arms of six age-matched controls. Underlying muscle synergies were identified using non-negative matrix factorization. In both groups, muscle activation patterns could be reconstructed by combinations of a few muscle synergies (typically 4). We did not find abnormal coupling of shoulder and elbow muscles within individual muscle synergies. In stroke survivors, as in controls, two of the synergies were comprised of isolated activation of the elbow flexors and extensors. However, muscle synergies involving proximal muscles exhibited consistent alterations following stroke. Unlike controls, the anterior deltoid was coactivated with medial and posterior deltoids within the shoulder abductor/extensor synergy and the shoulder adductor/flexor synergy in stroke was dominated by activation of pectoralis major, with limited anterior deltoid activation. Recruitment of the altered shoulder muscle synergies was strongly associated with abnormal task performance. Overall, our results suggest that an impaired control of the individual deltoid heads may contribute to poststroke deficits in arm function.

The flexible recruitment of muscle synergies depends on the required force-generating capability

2014 ◽  
Vol 112 (2) ◽  
pp. 316-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shota Hagio ◽  
Motoki Kouzaki
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Matrix Factorization ◽  
Nonnegative Matrix Factorization ◽  
Isometric Force ◽  
Nonnegative Matrix ◽  
Muscle Synergies ◽  
Joint Angles ◽  
Activation Patterns ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Low Dimensional

To simplify redundant motor control, the central nervous system (CNS) may modularly organize and recruit groups of muscles as “muscle synergies.” However, smooth and efficient movements are expected to require not only low-dimensional organization, but also flexibility in the recruitment or combination of synergies, depending on force-generating capability of individual muscles. In this study, we examined how the CNS controls activations of muscle synergies as changing joint angles. Subjects performed multidirectional isometric force generations around right ankle and extracted the muscle synergies using nonnegative matrix factorization across various knee and hip joint angles. As a result, muscle synergies were selectively recruited with merging or decomposition as changing the joint angles. Moreover, the activation profiles, including activation levels and the direction indicating the peak, of muscle synergies across force directions depended on the joint angles. Therefore, we suggested that the CNS selects appropriate muscle synergies and controls their activation patterns based on the force-generating capability of muscles with merging or decomposing descending neural inputs.

Shared muscle synergies in human walking and cycling

2014 ◽  
Vol 112 (8) ◽  
pp. 1984-1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Filipe O. Barroso ◽  
Diego Torricelli ◽  
Juan C. Moreno ◽  
Julian Taylor ◽  
Julio Gomez-Soriano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nonnegative Matrix ◽  
Muscular Activity ◽  
Muscle Synergy ◽  
Emg Activity ◽  
Modular Organization ◽  
Muscle Synergies ◽  
Supporting Evidence ◽  
Healthy Humans ◽  
Common Control ◽  
Secondary Objective

The motor system may rely on a modular organization (muscle synergies activated in time) to execute different tasks. We investigated the common control features of walking and cycling in healthy humans from the perspective of muscle synergies. Three hypotheses were tested: 1) muscle synergies extracted from walking trials are similar to those extracted during cycling; 2) muscle synergies extracted from one of these motor tasks can be used to mathematically reconstruct the electromyographic (EMG) patterns of the other task; 3) muscle synergies of cycling can result from merging synergies of walking. A secondary objective was to identify the speed (and cadence) at which higher similarities emerged. EMG activity from eight muscles of the dominant leg was recorded in eight healthy subjects during walking and cycling at four matched cadences. A factorization technique [nonnegative matrix factorization (NNMF)] was applied to extract individual muscle synergy vectors and the respective activation coefficients behind the global muscular activity of each condition. Results corroborated hypotheses 2 and 3, showing that 1) four synergies from walking and cycling can successfully explain most of the EMG variability of cycling and walking, respectively, and 2) two of four synergies from walking appear to merge together to reconstruct one individual synergy of cycling, with best reconstruction values found for higher speeds. Direct comparison of the muscle synergy vectors of walking and the muscle synergy vectors of cycling ( hypothesis 1) produced moderated values of similarity. This study provides supporting evidence for the hypothesis that cycling and walking share common neuromuscular mechanisms.

scholarly journals Feasibility of Muscle Synergy Outcomes in Clinics, Robotics, and Sports: A Systematic Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juri Taborri ◽  
Valentina Agostini ◽  
Panagiotis K. Artemiadis ◽  
Marco Ghislieri ◽  
Daniel A. Jacobs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Muscle Synergy ◽  
Modular Organization ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Muscle Synergies ◽  
Neural Encoding ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
The Central Nervous System

In the last years, several studies have been focused on understanding how the central nervous system controls muscles to perform a specific motor task. Although it still remains an open question, muscle synergies have come to be an appealing theory to explain the modular organization of the central nervous system. Even though the neural encoding of muscle synergies remains controversial, a large number of papers demonstrated that muscle synergies are robust across different tested conditions, which are within a day, between days, within a single subject, and between subjects that have similar demographic characteristics. Thus, muscle synergy theory has been largely used in several research fields, such as clinics, robotics, and sports. The present systematical review aims at providing an overview on the applications of muscle synergy theory in clinics, robotics, and sports; in particular, the review is focused on the papers that provide tangible information for (i) diagnosis or pathology assessment in clinics, (ii) robot-control design in robotics, and (iii) athletes’ performance assessment or training guidelines in sports.

scholarly journals Stroke impairs the control of isometric forces and muscle activations in the ipsilesional arm

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Pellegrino ◽  
Martina Coscia ◽  
Psiche Giannoni ◽  
Lucio Marinelli ◽  
Maura Casadio
Keyword(s):  
Daily Living ◽  
Isometric Force ◽  
Muscle Synergies ◽  
Behavioral Performance ◽  
Joint Torques ◽  
Efficient Control ◽  
Muscle Activations ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Isometric Forces ◽  
Minor Extent

AbstractStroke often impairs the control of the contralesional arm, thus most survivors rely on the ipsilesional arm to perform daily living activities that require an efficient control of movements and forces. Whereas the ipsilesional arm is often called ‘unaffected’ or ‘unimpaired’, several studies suggested that during dynamic tasks its kinematics and joint torques are altered. Is stroke also affecting the ability of the ipsilesional arm to produce isometric force, as when pushing or pulling a handle? Here, we address this question by analyzing behavioral performance and muscles’ activity when subjects applied an isometric force of 10 N in eight coplanar directions. We found that stroke affected the ability to apply well-controlled isometric forces with the ipsilesional arm, although to a minor extent compared to the contralesional arm. The spinal maps, the analysis of single muscle activities and the organization of muscle synergies highlighted that this effect was mainly associated with abnormal activity of proximal muscles with respect to matched controls, especially when pushing or pulling in lateral directions.

Confocal laser microscopy of impregnated central nervous system tissue

1988 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 94-95
Author(s):  
J.N. Turner ◽  
M. Siemens ◽  
D. Szarowski ◽  
D.N. Collins
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Confocal Laser ◽  
High Contrast ◽  
Central Nervous System Tissue ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Reflected Light

A classic preparation of central nervous system tissue (CNS) is the Golgi procedure popularized by Cajal. The method is partially specific as only a few cells are impregnated with silver chromate usualy after osmium post fixation. Samples are observable by light (LM) or electron microscopy (EM). However, the impregnation is often so dense that structures are masked in EM, and the osmium background may be undesirable in LM. Gold toning is used for a subtle but high contrast EM preparation, and osmium can be omitted for LM. We are investigating these preparations as part of a study to develop correlative LM and EM (particularly HVEM) methodologies in neurobiology. Confocal light microscopy is particularly useful as the impregnated cells have extensive three-dimensional structure in tissue samples from one to several hundred micrometers thick. Boyde has observed similar preparations in the tandem scanning reflected light microscope (TSRLM).

MECHANISM OF VARIABILITY REDUCTION IN THE SYSTEM OF SKELETAL MUSCLE MANAGEMENT IN ATHLETES ACCORDING TO THE PRINCIPLE OF FUNCTIONAL SYNERGY FORMATION

2019 ◽  
pp. 95-104
Author(s):  
S.A. Moiseev
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Skeletal Muscles ◽  
Anterior Part ◽  
Movement Control ◽  
Small Variation ◽  
Deltoid Muscle ◽  
Simultaneous Recording ◽  
Muscle Synergy ◽  
Statistical Parameters ◽  
Left Limb

The question of physiological function variability is of great theoretical interest, since it is a part of the theory of human voluntary movement control. The skeletal muscle control system should probably have a mechanism to reduce or limit the range of its possible variations. Presumably, the organization of the motor system elements according to the principle of muscular synergy is of such a nature. The objective of the work is to study variations and signs of the coordinated bioelectric activity of skeletal muscles in one of the resulting archery phases. Materials and Methods. The study enrolled 5 highly qualified sportsmen (Master of Sport, International Master of Sport). Archers shot 10 series of 3 shots, target distance 18 m, indoors. Simultaneous recording of electrical activity of 12 skeletal muscles of the upper limb girdle and a 3D video sequence was made. The authors analyzed indicators of distribution, descriptive and variation statistics for grouped data. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify signs of consistent muscle activity. Results. Variability magnitudes, characterized by statistical parameters, established for the turn-off-peak characteristics of various muscles, did not have an explicit dependence. Muscles with relatively high scattering parameters in terms of the EMG average amplitude could have a small variation in the average number of EMG turns. The radial flexor of the left hand wrist was a part of muscular synergy in 90 % of cases, the anterior part of the left limb deltoid muscle – in 80 % of cases, the lower and upper beams of the right and left cowl muscle – in 70 % of cases. Other muscles under consideration were their part in less than 60 % of cases. Conclusion. The system of skeletal muscles that are actively involved in the resulting phases of precision movement can be controlled according to the mechanism of functional synergy formation, which probably helps to reduce the range of possible variations in the parameters of muscle electroactivity. Keywords: variability, archery, electromyography, coordination structure, muscle synergy. Вопрос вариативности физиологических функций представляет интерес в теоретическом плане, поскольку является частью теории управления произвольными движениями человека. Система управления скелетными мышцами, вероятно, должна иметь механизм, позволяющий сократить или ограничить диапазон возможных ее вариаций. Таковым, предположительно, является организация элементов моторной системы по принципу мышечных синергий. Цель работы – изучение вариаций и признаков согласованной биоэлектрической активности скелетных мышц в одной из результирующих фаз выстрела из лука. Материалы и методы. В исследованиях приняли участие 5 высококвалифицированных спортсменов (МС, МСМК). Лучники выполняли 10 серий по 3 выстрела с дистанции 18 м в крытом помещении. Производилась синхронная регистрация электрической активности 12 скелетных мышц верхнего плечевого пояса и 3D-видеоряда. Анализировались показатели распределения, описательной и вариационной статистики для сгруппированных данных. Для выявления признаков согласованной активности мышц применялся множественный регрессионный анализ. Результаты. Величины вариативности, характеризуемые статистическими параметрами, установленные для турн-аплитудных характеристик различных мышц, не имели явной зависимости. Мышцы, имеющие относительно высокие параметры разброса значений по показателю средней амплитуды ЭМГ, могли иметь небольшую вариативность среднего числа турнов ЭМГ. Лучевой сгибатель кисти левой руки являлся частью мышечной синергии в 90 % случаев, передняя часть дельтовидной мышцы левой конечности – в 80 %, нижние и верхние пучки трапециевидной мышцы правой и левой сторон – в 70 %. Другие исследуемые мышцы являлись их частью в менее чем 60 % случаев. Выводы. Управление системой скелетных мышц, принимающих активное участие в реализации одной из результирующих фаз точностного движения, может осуществляться по механизму образования функциональных синергий, что, вероятно, способствует снижению диапазона возможных вариаций параметров электроактивности мышц. Ключевые слова: вариативность, стрельба из лука, электромиография, координационная структура, мышечные синергии.

Three-dimensional sonographic features of fetal central nervous system anomaly

2000 ◽  
Vol 79 (8) ◽  
pp. 635-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
TOSHIYUKI HATA ◽  
TOSHIHIRO YANAGIHARA ◽  
MINAKO MATSUMOTO ◽  
UIKO HANAOKA ◽  
MARI UETA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Central Nervous System Anomaly

scholarly journals Retinal vessel segmentation with constrained-based nonnegative matrix factorization and 3D modified attention U-Net

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Yu ◽  
Hongqing Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Matrix Factorization ◽  
Nonnegative Matrix Factorization ◽  
Computational Cost ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Nonnegative Matrix ◽  
Retinal Vessel ◽  
Classification Problem ◽  
Image Resolution ◽  
Retinal Vessels ◽  
Segmentation Task

AbstractDue to the complex morphology and characteristic of retinal vessels, it remains challenging for most of the existing algorithms to accurately detect them. This paper proposes a supervised retinal vessels extraction scheme using constrained-based nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) and three dimensional (3D) modified attention U-Net architecture. The proposed method detects the retinal vessels by three major steps. First, we perform Gaussian filter and gamma correction on the green channel of retinal images to suppress background noise and adjust the contrast of images. Then, the study develops a new within-class and between-class constrained NMF algorithm to extract neighborhood feature information of every pixel and reduce feature data dimension. By using these constraints, the method can effectively gather similar features within-class and discriminate features between-class to improve feature description ability for each pixel. Next, this study formulates segmentation task as a classification problem and solves it with a more contributing 3D modified attention U-Net as a two-label classifier for reducing computational cost. This proposed network contains an upsampling to raise image resolution before encoding and revert image to its original size with a downsampling after three max-pooling layers. Besides, the attention gate (AG) set in these layers contributes to more accurate segmentation by maintaining details while suppressing noises. Finally, the experimental results on three publicly available datasets DRIVE, STARE, and HRF demonstrate better performance than most existing methods.

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