Modularity of Motor Output Evoked By Intraspinal Microstimulation in Cats

2004 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 502-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel A. Lemay ◽  
Warren M. Grill

We studied the forces produced at the cat's hindpaw by microstimulation of the ipsi- and contralateral lumbar spinal cord in spinal intact α-chloralose anesthetized ( n = 3) or decerebrate ( n = 3) animals. Isometric force and EMG responses were measured at 9-12 limb configurations, with the paw attached to a force transducer and with the hip and femur fixed. The active forces elicited at different limb configurations were summarized as force fields representing the sagittal plane component of the forces produced at the paw throughout the workspace. The forces varied in amplitude over time but the orientations were stable, and the pattern of an active force field was invariant through time. The active force fields divided into four distinct types, and a few of the fields showed convergence to an equilibrium point. The fields were generally produced by coactivation of the hindlimb muscles. In addition, some of the fields were consistent with known spinal reflexes and the stimulation sites producing them were in laminae where the interneurons associated with those reflexes are known to be located. Muscle activation produced by intraspinal stimulation, as assessed by intramuscular EMG activity, was modified with limb configuration, suggesting that the responses were not fixed, but were modified by position-dependent sensory feedback. The force responses may represent basic outputs of the spinal circuitry and may be related to similar spinal primitives found in the frog and rat.

2018 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 1153-1165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Germana Cappellini ◽  
Francesca Sylos-Labini ◽  
Michael J. MacLellan ◽  
Annalisa Sacco ◽  
Daniela Morelli ◽  
...  

To investigate how early injuries to developing motor regions of the brain affect different forms of gait, we compared the spatiotemporal locomotor patterns during forward (FW) and backward (BW) walking in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Bilateral gait kinematics and EMG activity of 11 pairs of leg muscles were recorded in 14 children with CP (9 diplegic, 5 hemiplegic; 3.0–11.1 yr) and 14 typically developing (TD) children (3.3–11.8 yr). During BW, children with CP showed a significant increase of gait asymmetry in foot trajectory characteristics and limb intersegmental coordination. Furthermore, gait asymmetries, which were not evident during FW in diplegic children, became evident during BW. Factorization of the EMG signals revealed a comparable structure of the motor output during FW and BW in all groups of children, but we found differences in the basic temporal activation patterns. Overall, the results are consistent with the idea that both forms of gait share pattern generation control circuits providing similar (though reversed) kinematic patterns. However, BW requires different muscle activation timings associated with muscle modules, highlighting subtle gait asymmetries in diplegic children, and thus provides a more comprehensive assessment of gait pathology in children with CP. The findings suggest that spatiotemporal asymmetry assessments during BW might reflect an impaired state and/or descending control of the spinal locomotor circuitry and can be used for diagnostic purposes and as complementary markers of gait recovery.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Early injuries to developing motor regions of the brain affect both forward progression and other forms of gait. In particular, backward walking highlights prominent gait asymmetries in children with hemiplegia and diplegia from cerebral palsy and can give a more comprehensive assessment of gait pathology. The observed spatiotemporal asymmetry assessments may reflect both impaired supraspinal control and impaired state of the spinal circuitry.


2005 ◽  
Vol 93 (5) ◽  
pp. 2614-2624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daichi Nozaki ◽  
Kimitaka Nakazawa ◽  
Masami Akai

We investigated how the CNS selects a unique muscle activation pattern under a redundant situation resulting from the existence of bi-articular muscles. Surface electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded from eight lower limb muscles while 11 subjects were exerting isometric knee and hip joint torque simultaneously ( Tk and Th, respectively. Extension torque was defined as positive). The knee joint was kept at either 90 or 60°. Various combinations of torque were imposed on both joints by pulling a cable attached to an ankle brace with approximately three levels of isometric force in 16 directions. The distribution of the data in the three-dimensional plot (muscle activation level quantified by the root mean squared value of EMG vs. Tk and Th) demonstrates that the muscle activation level M can be approximated by a single model as M = ⌊ aTk + bTh⌋ where ⌊ x⌋ = max ( x,0) and a and b are constants. The percentage of variance explained by this model averaged over all muscles was 82.3 ± 14.0% (mean ± SD), indicating that the degree of fit of the data to the plane was high. This model suggests that the CNS uses a cosine tuning function on the torque plane ( Tk, Th) to recruit muscles. Interestingly, the muscle's preferred direction (PD) defined as the direction where it is maximally active on the torque plane deviated from its own mechanical pulling direction (MD). This deviation was apparent in the mono-articular knee extensor (MD = 0°, whereas PD = 14.1 ± 3.7° for vastus lateralis) and in the mono-articular hip extensor (MD = 90°, whereas PD = 53.4 ± 6.4° for gluteus maximus). Such misalignment between MD and PD indicates that the mono-articular muscle's activation level depends on the torque of the joint that it does not span. Practical implications of this observation for the motor control studies were discussed. We also demonstrated that the observed shift from the MD to the PD is plausible in the configuration of our musculo-skeletal system and that the experimental results are likely to be explained by the CNS process to minimize the variability of the endpoint force vector under the existence of signal-dependent noise.


1996 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Weeks ◽  
M. P. Aubert ◽  
A. G. Feldman ◽  
M. F. Levin

1. We analyzed the rapid adaptation of elbow movement to unexpected changes in external load conditions at the elbow joint. The experimental approach was based on the lambda model, which defines control variables (CVs) setting the positional frames of reference for recruitment of flexor and extensor motoneurons. CVs may be specified by the nervous system independently of the current values of output variable such as electromyographic (EMG) activity, muscle torques, and kinematics. The CV R specifies the referent joint angle (R) at which the transition of flexor to extensor activity or vice versa can be observed during changes in the actual joint angle, theta, elicited by an external force. The other CV, the coactivation (C) command, instead of a single transition angle, defines an angular range in which flexor and extensor muscles may be simultaneously active (if C > 0) or silent (if C < 0). Changes in the R command result in shifts in the equilibrium state of the system, a dynamic process leading to EMG modifications resulting in movement or isometric force production if movement is obstructed. Fast movements are likely produced by combining the R command with a positive C command, which provides movement stability and effective energy dissipation, diminishing oscillations at the end of movement. 2. According to the model, changes in the load characteristic (e.g., from a 0 to a springlike load) influence the system's equilibrium state, leading to a positional error. This error may be corrected by a secondary movement produced by additional changes in R and C commands. In subsequent trials, the system may reproduce the CVs specified after correction in the previous trial. This behavior is called the recurrent strategy. It allows the system to adapt to the new load condition in the subsequent trials without corrections (1-trial adaptation). Alternatively, the system may reproduce the CVs specified before correction (invariant strategy). If the movement was perturbed only in a single trial, the invariant strategy allows the system to reach the target in the subsequent trials without corrections. 3. To test the assumption on the dominant role of the recurrent strategy in rapid adaptation of movement to new load conditions, we performed experiments in which subjects (n = 6) used a pivoting manipulandum and made fast 60 degrees movements to a target. After a random number of trials (5-10) with no load, we introduced opposing (experiment 1), assisting (experiment 2), or randomly varied opposing or assisting loads (experiment 3) for 5-10 trials before unexpectedly switching loads again (14-18 switches in total). The opposing or assisting torque was created by position feedback to a torque motor and was a linear function of the displacement of the manipulandum form the initial position (springlike load). Subjects were instructed to correct positional errors as soon as possible to reach the target. The EMG activity of two elbow flexors (biceps brachii and brachioradialis) and two elbow extensors (triceps brachii and anconeus), elbow position, velocity, and torque were recorded. Kinematic and EMG patterns were compared with those obtained in similar experiments in which subjects were instructed not to correct errors. 4. In 94% of the trials in which a change in the load occurred, the primary movement was in error and was followed by a corrective secondary movement. In primary movements, both the phasic and tonic levels of EMG activity as well as the kinematics were load dependent, implicating reflex and intramuscular mechanisms in the adaptation of muscle forces counteracting external loads. These mechanisms, however, were not sufficient to eliminate positional errors. 5. An undershoot error occurred in trials with an opposing load after those with no load or in trials with no load after those with an assisting load. After adaptation to a new load condition, a sudden return to the previous load condition resulted in an error of the oppo


1999 ◽  
Vol 202 (16) ◽  
pp. 2127-2138 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Knower ◽  
R.E. Shadwick ◽  
S.L. Katz ◽  
J.B. Graham ◽  
C.S. Wardle

To learn about muscle function in two species of tuna (yellowfin Thunnus albacares and skipjack Katsuwonus pelamis), a series of electromyogram (EMG) electrodes was implanted down the length of the body in the internal red (aerobic) muscle. Additionally, a buckle force transducer was fitted around the deep caudal tendons on the same side of the peduncle as the electrodes. Recordings of muscle activity and caudal tendon forces were made while the fish swam over a range of steady, sustainable cruising speeds in a large water tunnel treadmill. In both species, the onset of red muscle activation proceeds sequentially in a rostro-caudal direction, while the offset (or deactivation) is nearly simultaneous at all sites, so that EMG burst duration decreases towards the tail. Muscle duty cycle at each location remains a constant proportion of the tailbeat period (T), independent of swimming speed, and peak force is registered in the tail tendons just as all ipsilateral muscle deactivates. Mean duty cycles in skipjack are longer than those in yellowfin. In yellowfin red muscle, there is complete segregation of contralateral activity, while in skipjack there is slight overlap. In both species, all internal red muscle on one side is active simultaneously for part of each cycle, lasting 0.18T in yellowfin and 0.11T in skipjack. (Across the distance encompassing the majority of the red muscle mass, 0.35-0.65L, where L is fork length, the duration is 0.25T in both species.) When red muscle activation patterns were compared across a variety of fish species, it became apparent that the EMG patterns grade in a progression that parallels the kinematic spectrum of swimming modes from anguilliform to thunniform. The tuna EMG pattern, underlying the thunniform swimming mode, culminates this progression, exhibiting an activation pattern at the extreme opposite end of the spectrum from the anguilliform mode.


2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zlatko Matjačić ◽  
Matjaž Zadravec ◽  
Jakob Oblak

Clinical rehabilitation of individuals with various neurological disorders requires a significant number of movement repetitions in order to improve coordination and restoration of appropriate muscle activation patterns. Arm reaching movement is frequently practiced via motorized arm cycling ergometers where the trajectory of movement is circular thus providing means for practicing a single and rather nonfunctional set of muscle activation patterns, which is a significant limitation. We have developed a novel mechanism that in the combination with an existing arm ergometer device enables nine different movement modalities/trajectories ranging from purely circular trajectory to four elliptical and four linear trajectories where the direction of movement may be varied. The main objective of this study was to test a hypothesis stating that different movement modalities facilitate differences in muscle activation patterns as a result of varying shape and direction of movement. Muscle activation patterns in all movement modalities were assessed in a group of neurologically intact individuals in the form of recording the electromyographic (EMG) activity of four selected muscle groups of the shoulder and the elbow. Statistical analysis of the root mean square (RMS) values of resulting EMG signals have shown that muscle activation patterns corresponding to each of the nine movement modalities significantly differ in order to accommodate to variation of the trajectories shape and direction. Further, we assessed muscle activation patterns following the same protocol in a selected clinical case of hemiparesis. These results have shown the ability of the selected case subject to produce different muscle activation patterns as a response to different movement modalities which show some resemblance to those assessed in the group of neurologically intact individuals. The results of the study indicate that the developed device may significantly extend the scope of strength and coordination training in stroke rehabilitation which is in current clinical rehabilitation practice done through arm cycling.


2015 ◽  
pp. 789-794 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. DOUL ◽  
Z. CHARVÁTOVÁ ◽  
I. OŠŤÁDALOVÁ ◽  
M. KOHUTIAR ◽  
H. MAXOVÁ ◽  
...  

Although there are abundant data on ischemic postconditioning (IPoC) in the adult myocardium, this phenomenon has not yet been investigated in neonatal hearts. To examine possible protective effects of IPoC, rat hearts isolated on days 1, 4, 7 and 10 of postnatal life were perfused according to Langendorff. Developed force (DF) of contraction was measured by an isometric force transducer. Hearts were exposed to 40 or 60 min of global ischemia followed by reperfusion up to the maximum recovery of DF. IPoC was induced by three cycles of 10, 30 or 60 s periods of global ischemia/reperfusion. To further determine the extent of ischemic injury, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release was measured in the coronary effluent. Tolerance to ischemia did not change from day 1 to day 4 but decreased to days 7 and 10. None of the postconditioning protocols tested led to significant protection on the day 10. Prolonging the period of sustained ischemia to 60 min on day 10 did not lead to better protection. The 3x30 s protocol was then evaluated on days 1, 4 and 7 without any significant effects. There were no significant differences in LDH release between postconditioned and control groups. It can be concluded that neonatal hearts cannot be protected by ischemic postconditioning during first 10 days of postnatal life.


2008 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aiko K. Thompson ◽  
Kristen L. Estabrooks ◽  
SuLing Chong ◽  
Richard B. Stein

Objective. Spinal reciprocal inhibitory and excitatory reflexes of ankle extensor and flexor muscles were investigated in ambulatory participants with chronic central nervous system (CNS) lesions causing foot drop as a function of time after lesion and stimulator use. Methods. Thirty-nine participants with progressive (eg, secondary progressive MS) and 36 with generally nonprogressive (eg, stroke) conditions were studied. The tibialis anterior (TA) and soleus maximum H-reflex/M-wave (Hmax/Mmax) ratios and maximum voluntary contractions (MVC) were measured and compared with those in age-matched control participants. Reciprocal inhibition was measured as a depression of the ongoing electromyographic (EMG) activity produced by antagonist muscle—nerve stimulation. Results. Participants with CNS lesions had significantly higher soleus Hmax/Mmax ratios than control participants, and reduced voluntary modulation of the reflexes occurred in both muscles. Reciprocal inhibition of soleus from common peroneal (CP) nerve stimulation was not significantly different from controls in either group. Inhibition of the TA by tibial nerve stimulation decreased and was eventually replaced by excitation in participants with nonprogressive disorders. No significant change occurred in progressive disorders. Use of a foot drop stimulator increased the TA, but not the soleus MVC overall. H-reflexes only showed small changes. Reciprocal inhibition of the TA increased considerably, while that of the soleus muscle decreased toward control values. Conclusions. Disorders that produce foot drop also produce reflex changes, some of which only develop over a period of years or even decades. Regular use of a foot drop stimulator strengthens voluntary pathways and changes some reflexes toward control values. Thus, stimulators may provide multiple benefits to people with foot drop.


2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison C. McDonald ◽  
Elora C. Brenneman ◽  
Alan C. Cudlip ◽  
Clark R. Dickerson

As the modern workplace is dominated by submaximal repetitive tasks, knowledge of the effect of task location is important to ensure workers are unexposed to potentially injurious demands imposed by repetitive work in awkward or sustained postures. The purpose of this investigation was to develop a three-dimensional spatial map of the muscle activity for the right upper extremity during laterally directed submaximal force exertions. Electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded from fourteen muscles surrounding the shoulder complex as the participants exerted 40N of force in two directions (leftward, rightward) at 70 defined locations. Hand position in both push directions strongly influenced total and certain individual muscle demands as identified by repeated measures analysis of variance (P< .001). During rightward exertions individual muscle activation varied from 1 to 21% MVE and during leftward exertions it varied from 1 to 27% MVE with hand location. Continuous prediction equations for muscular demands based on three-dimensional spatial parameters were created with explained variance ranging from 25 to 73%. The study provides novel information for evaluating existing and proactive workplace designs, and may help identify preferred geometric placements of lateral exertions in occupational settings to lower muscular demands, potentially mitigating fatigue and associated musculoskeletal risks.


2003 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 646-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingui Yu ◽  
Koji Ogawa ◽  
Yasuyuki Tokinaga ◽  
Yoshio Hatano

Background The Rho/Rho-kinase signaling pathway plays an important role in mediating Ca2+ sensitization of vascular smooth muscle. The effect of anesthetics on Rho/Rho-kinase-mediated vasoconstriction has not been determined to date. This study is designed to examine the possible inhibitory effects of sevoflurane on the Rho/Rho-kinase pathway by measuring guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate (GTP gamma S)-stimulated contraction and translocation of RhoA (one of the three Rho subtypes) and Rock-2 (one of the two Rho-kinase subtypes) from the cytosol to the membrane in rat aortic smooth muscle. Methods GTP gamma S-induced contraction of rat aortic endothelium-denuded rings was measured using an isometric force transducer, and GTP gamma S-stimulated membrane translocation of RhoA and Rock-2 in smooth muscle cells was detected with Western blotting in the presence and absence of sevoflurane. Results GTP gamma S (10(-4) m) induced a sustained contraction, which was significantly inhibited by the Rho-kinase inhibitor, Y27632 (3 x 10(-6) m). Before treatment with GTP gamma S, RhoA and Rock-2 were detected primarily in the cytosolic fraction. GTP gamma S (10(-4) m) stimulated the translocation of RhoA and Rock-2 from the cytosol to the membrane, which was sustained for more than 60 min. Sevoflurane (1.7, 3.4, and 5.1%) concentration dependently inhibited the GTP gamma S-induced constriction of rat aortic smooth muscle with a reduction of constriction of 52-75% (P &lt; 0.01, n = 8), and attenuated the translocation of RhoA and Rock-2 by 31-66% and 34-78%, respectively (P &lt; 0.05-0.01, respectively; n = 4). Conclusion The current findings show that sevoflurane depresses the GTP gamma S-stimulated contraction and translocation of both Rho and Rho-kinase from the cytosol in a concentration-dependent manner, indicating that sevoflurane is able to inhibit vasoconstriction mediated by the Rho/Rho-kinase pathway in rat aortic smooth muscle.


Author(s):  
Massimo Venturelli ◽  
Cantor Tarperi ◽  
Chiara Milanese ◽  
Luca Festa ◽  
Luana Toniolo ◽  
...  

To investigate how leg preference affects net efficiency (ηnet), we examined central and peripheral hemodynamics, muscle fiber type, activation and force of preferred (PL) and non-preferred (NPL) leg. Our hypothesis was that PL greater efficiency could be explained by adaptations and interactions between central, peripheral factors and force. Fifteen young participants performed single-leg extension exercise at absolute (35W) and relative (50%peak power-output (Wpeak)) workloads with PL and NPL. Oxygen uptake, photoplethysmography, Doppler ultrasound, near-infrared-spectroscopy deoxy-hemoglobin [HHb], integrated electromyography (iEMG), maximal isometric force (MVC), rate of force development (RFD50-100) and muscle biopsies of both vastus lateralis, were studied to assess central and peripheral determinants of ηnet. During exercise executed at 35W, ηnet was 17.5±5.1% and 11.9±2.1% (p<0.01) in NP and NPL respectively, while during exercise at the 50% of Wpeak, was in PL = 18.1±5.1% and in NPL = 12.5±1.9 (p<0.01). The only parameter correlated with ηnet was iEMG which showed an inverse correlation for absolute (r=-0.83 and -0.69 for PL and NPL) and relative workloads (r=-0.92 and -0.79 for PL and NPL). MVC and RFD50-100 were higher in PL than in NPL but not correlated to ηnet. This study identified a critical role of leg preference in the efficiency during single-leg extension exercise. The whole spectrum of the central and peripheral, circulatory and muscular determinants of ηnet did not explain the difference between PL and NPL efficiency. Therefore, the lower muscle activation exhibited by the PL is likely the primary determinant of this physiological phenomenon.


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