Journal articles on the topic 'Motor control, rhythmic movements, sensory stimuli'
To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Motor control, rhythmic movements, sensory stimuli.
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 50 journal articles for your research on the topic 'Motor control, rhythmic movements, sensory stimuli.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse journal articles on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
te Woerd, Erik S., Robert Oostenveld, Floris P. de Lange, and Peter Praamstra. "Impaired auditory-to-motor entrainment in Parkinson’s disease." Journal of Neurophysiology 117, no. 5 (May 1, 2017): 1853–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.00547.2016.
Full textAbstract:
Several electrophysiological studies suggest that Parkinson's disease (PD) patients have a reduced tendency to entrain to regular environmental patterns. Here we investigate whether this reduced entrainment concerns a generalized deficit or is confined to movement-related activity, leaving sensory entrainment intact. Magnetoencephalography was recorded during a rhythmic auditory target detection task in 14 PD patients and 14 control subjects. Participants were instructed to press a button when hearing a target tone amid an isochronous sequence of standard tones. The variable pitch of standard tones indicated the probability of the next tone to be a target. In addition, targets were occasionally omitted to evaluate entrainment uncontaminated by stimulus effects. Response times were not significantly different between groups and both groups benefited equally from the predictive value of standard tones. Analyses of oscillatory beta power over auditory cortices showed equal entrainment to the tones in both groups. By contrast, oscillatory beta power and event-related fields demonstrated a reduced engagement of motor cortical areas in PD patients, expressed in the modulation depth of beta power, in the response to omitted stimuli, and in an absent motor area P300 effect. Together, these results show equally strong entrainment of neural activity over sensory areas in controls and patients, but, in patients, a deficient translation of the adjustment to the task rhythm to motor circuits. We suggest that the reduced activation reflects not merely altered resonance to rhythmic external events, but a compromised recruitment of an endogenous response reflecting internal rhythm generation. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Previous studies suggest that motor cortical activity in PD patients has a reduced tendency to entrain to regular environmental patterns. This study demonstrates that the deficient entrainment in PD concerns the motor system only, by showing equally strong entrainment of neural activity over sensory areas in controls and patients but, in patients, a deficient translation of this adjustment to the task rhythm to motor circuits.
2
Stanojevic, Milan. "Neonatal Aspects: Is There Continuity?" Donald School Journal of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology 6, no. 2 (2012): 189–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-10009-1242.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT During the 9 months between conception and birth, the fetal brain is transformed from instructions in genes to a complex, highly differentiated organ. The human central nervous system (CNS) changes from a microscopic band of embryonic neuroblasts to a 350 gm mass with more than 109 interconnected highly differentiated neurons in the cortex alone. How this extraordinary growth results in sensomotor, cognitive, affective and behavioral development is still unexplored. The development of voluntary, cognitive and purposive activity from fetal to neonatal period is to analyze the developmental transformations of the brain expressed by development of movement patterns from prenatal through postnatal period. As the development of the brain is unique and continuing process throughout the gestation and after birth, it is expected that there is also continuity of fetal to neonatal movements which are the best functional indicator of developmental processes of the brain. Concerning the complexity, voluntary control and stereotype, there are at least four groups of movements: Reflexes, fixed action patterns, rhythmic motor patterns, and directed movements. Substantial indications suggest that spontaneous activity is a more sensitive indicator of brain dysfunction than reactivity to sensory stimuli in reflex testing. It was proved that assessment of general movements in high-risk newborns has significantly higher predictive value for later neurological development than neurological examination. Nutritional stress at critical times during fetal development can have persistent and potentially irreversible effects on organ function. Impaired intrauterine growth and development may antecede insufficient postnatal growth. Thus, it may be a marker of impaired central nervous system integrity because of adverse intrauterine conditions. Unfavorable intrauterine environment can affect adversely fetal growth. There is an association between postnatal growth and neurodevelopmental outcome. Concerning the continuity from fetus to neonate in terms of neurobehavior, it could be concluded that fetus and neonate are the same persons in different environment. While in the womb, fetus is protected from the gravity which is not so important for its neurodevelopment, postnatally the neonate is exposed to the gravity during the labor and from the first moments of autonomous life. Development of motor control is highly dependent on antigravity forces enabling erect posture of infant or young child. These environmental differences should be kept on mind during prenatal as well as postnatal assessment. How to cite this article Stanojevic M. Neonatal Aspects: Is There Continuity? Donald School J Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2012;6(2):189-196.
3
Konoike, Naho, and Katsuki Nakamura. "Cerebral Substrates for Controlling Rhythmic Movements." Brain Sciences 10, no. 8 (August 3, 2020): 514. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10080514.
Full textAbstract:
Our daily lives are filled with rhythmic movements, such as walking, sports, and dancing, but the mechanisms by which the brain controls rhythmic movements are poorly understood. In this review, we examine the literature on neuropsychological studies of patients with focal brain lesions, and functional brain imaging studies primarily using finger-tapping tasks. These studies suggest a close connection between sensory and motor processing of rhythm, with no apparent distinction between the two functions. Thus, we conducted two functional brain imaging studies to survey the rhythm representations relatively independent of sensory and motor functions. First, we determined brain activations related to rhythm processing in a sensory modality-independent manner. Second, we examined body part-independent brain activation related to rhythm reproduction. Based on previous literature, we discuss how brain areas contribute rhythmic motor control. Furthermore, we also discuss the mechanisms by which the brain controls rhythmic movements.
4
Hemelt, Marie E., and Asaf Keller. "Superior Colliculus Control of Vibrissa Movements." Journal of Neurophysiology 100, no. 3 (September 2008): 1245–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.90478.2008.
Full textAbstract:
This study tested the role of the superior colliculus in generating movements of the mystacial vibrissae—whisking. First, we compared the kinematics of whisking generated by the superior colliculus with those generated by the motor cortex. We found that in anesthetized rats, microstimulation of the colliculus evoked a sustained vibrissa protraction, whereas stimulation of motor cortex produced rhythmic protractions. Movements generated by the superior colliculus are independent of motor cortex and can be evoked at lower thresholds and shorter latencies than those generated by the motor cortex. Next we tested the hypothesis that the colliculus is acting as a simple reflex loop with the neurons that drive vibrissa movement receiving sensory input evoked by vibrissa contacts. We found that most tecto-facial neurons do not receive sensory input. Not only did these neurons not spike in response to sensory stimulation, but field potential analysis revealed that subthreshold sensory inputs do not overlap spatially with tecto-facial neurons. Together these findings suggest that the superior colliculus plays a pivotal role in vibrissa movement—regulating vibrissa set point and whisk amplitude—but does not function as a simple reflex loop. With the motor cortex controlling the whisking frequency, the superior colliculus control of set point and amplitude would account for the main parameters of voluntary whisking.
5
Stoytchev, Alexander. "Self-detection in robots: a method based on detecting temporal contingencies." Robotica 29, no. 1 (January 2011): 1–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0263574710000755.
Full textAbstract:
SUMMARYThis paper addresses the problem of self-detection by a robot. The paper describes a methodology for autonomous learning of the characteristic delay between motor commands (efferent signals) and observed movements of visual stimuli (afferent signals). The robot estimates its own efferent-afferent delay from self-observation data gathered while performing motor babbling, i.e., random rhythmic movements similar to the primary circular reactions described by Piaget. After the efferent-afferent delay is estimated, the robot imprints on that delay and can later use it to successfully classify visual stimuli as either “self” or “other.” Results from robot experiments performed in environments with increasing degrees of difficulty are reported.
6
Nickl, Robert W., M. Mert Ankarali, and Noah J. Cowan. "Complementary spatial and timing control in rhythmic arm movements." Journal of Neurophysiology 121, no. 4 (April 1, 2019): 1543–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.00194.2018.
Full textAbstract:
Volitional rhythmic motor behaviors such as limb cycling and locomotion exhibit spatial and timing regularity. Such rhythmic movements are executed in the presence of exogenous visual and nonvisual cues, and previous studies have shown the pivotal role that vision plays in guiding spatial and temporal regulation. However, the influence of nonvisual information conveyed through auditory or touch sensory pathways, and its effect on control, remains poorly understood. To characterize the function of nonvisual feedback in rhythmic arm control, we designed a paddle juggling task in which volunteers bounced a ball off a rigid elastic surface to a target height in virtual reality by moving a physical handle with the right hand. Feedback was delivered at two key phases of movement: visual feedback at ball peaks only and simultaneous audio and haptic feedback at ball-paddle collisions. In contrast to previous work, we limited visual feedback to the minimum required for jugglers to assess spatial accuracy, and we independently perturbed the spatial dimensions and the timing of feedback. By separately perturbing this information, we evoked dissociable effects on spatial accuracy and timing, confirming that juggling, and potentially other rhythmic tasks, involves two complementary processes with distinct dynamics: spatial error correction and feedback timing synchronization. Moreover, we show evidence that audio and haptic feedback provide sufficient information for the brain to control the timing synchronization process by acting as a metronome-like cue that triggers hand movement. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Vision contains rich information for control of rhythmic arm movements; less is known, however, about the role of nonvisual feedback (touch and sound). Using a virtual ball bouncing task allowing independent real-time manipulation of spatial location and timing of cues, we show their dissociable roles in regulating motor behavior. We confirm that visual feedback is used to correct spatial error and provide new evidence that nonvisual event cues act to reset the timing of arm movements.
7
Abbink, J. H., A. van der Bilt, F. Bosman, H. W. van der Glas, C. J. Erkelens, and M. F. H. Klaassen. "Comparison of External Load Compensation During Rhythmic Arm Movements and Rhythmic Jaw Movements in Humans." Journal of Neurophysiology 82, no. 3 (September 1, 1999): 1209–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.1999.82.3.1209.
Full textAbstract:
Experiments were performed on human elbow flexor and extensor muscles and jaw-opening and -closing muscles to observe the effect on rhythmic movements of sudden loading. The load was provided by an electromagnetic device, which simulated the appearance of a smoothly increasing spring-like load. The responses to this loading were compared in jaw and elbow movements and between expected and unexpected disturbances. All muscles showed electromyographic responses to unexpected perturbations, with latencies of ∼65 ms in the arm muscles and 25 ms in the jaw. When loading was predictable, anticipatory responses started in arm muscles ∼200 ms before and in jaw muscles 100 ms before the onset of loading. The reflex responses relative to the anticipatory responses were smaller for the arm muscles than for the jaw muscles. The reflex responses in the arm muscles were the same with unexpected and expected perturbations, whereas anticipation increased the reflex responses in the jaw muscles. Biceps brachii and triceps brachii showed similar sensory-induced responses and similar anticipatory responses. Jaw muscles differed, however, in that the reflex response was stronger in masseter than in digastric. It was concluded that reflex responses in the arm muscles cannot overcome the loading of the arm adequately, which is compensated by a large centrally programmed response when loading is predictable. The jaw muscles, particularly the jaw-closing muscles, tend to respond mainly through reflex loops, even when loading of the jaw is anticipated. The differences between the responses of the arm and the jaw muscles may be related to physical differences. For example, the jaw was decelerated more strongly by the load than the heavier arm. The jaw was decelerated strongly but briefly, <30 ms during jaw closing, indicating that muscle force increased before the onset of reflex activity. Apparently, the force-velocity properties of the jaw muscles have a stabilizing effect on the jaw and have this effect before sensory induced responses occur. The symmetrical responses in biceps and triceps indicate similar motor control of both arm muscles. The differences in reflex activity between masseter and digastric muscle indicate fundamental differences in sensory feedback to the jaw-closing muscle and jaw-opening muscle.
8
CATTAERT, DANIEL, JEAN-YVES BARTHE, DOUGLAS M. NEIL, and FRANCOIS CLARAC. "Remote Control of the Swimmeret Central Pattern Generator in Crayfish (Procambarus Clarkii and Pacifastacus Leniusculus): Effect of a Walking Leg Proprioceptor." Journal of Experimental Biology 169, no. 1 (August 1, 1992): 181–206. http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.169.1.181.
Full textAbstract:
1. An isolated preparation of the crayfish nervous system, comprising both the thoracic and the abdominal ganglia together with their nerve roots, has been used to study the influence of a single leg proprioceptor, the coxo-basal chordotonal organ (CBCO), on the fictive swimmeret beating consistently expressed in this preparation. Both mechanical stimulation of the CBCO and electrical stimulation of its nerve were used. 2. In preparations not displaying rhythmic activity, electrical or mechanical stimulations evoked excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) in about 30 % of the studied motor neurones with a fairly short and regular delay, suggesting an oligosynaptic pathway. Such stimulation could evoke rhythmic activity in swimmeret motor nerves. The evoked swimmeret rhythm often continued for several seconds after the stimulus period. 3. When the swimmeret rhythm was well established, electrical and mechanical stimuli modified it in a number of ways. Limited mechanical or weak electrical stimuli produced a small increase in swimmeret beat frequency, while more extreme movements of the CBCO or strong electrical stimuli had a disruptive effect on the rhythm. 4. The effect of low-intensity stimulation on existing swimmeret beating was phase-dependent: it shortened the beat cycle when applied during the powerstroke phase and lengthened it when applied during the retumstroke phase. 5. Rhythmic mechanical stimulation of CBCO or electrical stimulation of the CBCO nerve entrained the swimmeret rhythm within a limited range in relative or absolute coordination. Note: To whom reprint requests should be sent.
9
Gerasimenko, Yury, Parag Gad, Dimitry Sayenko, Zach McKinney, Ruslan Gorodnichev, Aleksandr Puhov, Tatiana Moshonkina, et al. "Integration of sensory, spinal, and volitional descending inputs in regulation of human locomotion." Journal of Neurophysiology 116, no. 1 (July 1, 2016): 98–105. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.00146.2016.
Full textAbstract:
We reported previously that both transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation and direct pressure stimulation of the plantar surfaces of the feet can elicit rhythmic involuntary step-like movements in noninjured subjects with their legs in a gravity-neutral apparatus. The present experiments investigated the convergence of spinal and plantar pressure stimulation and voluntary effort in the activation of locomotor movements in uninjured subjects under full body weight support in a vertical position. For all conditions, leg movements were analyzed using electromyographic (EMG) recordings and optical motion capture of joint kinematics. Spinal cord stimulation elicited rhythmic hip and knee flexion movements accompanied by EMG bursting activity in the hamstrings of 6/6 subjects. Similarly, plantar stimulation induced bursting EMG activity in the ankle flexor and extensor muscles in 5/6 subjects. Moreover, the combination of spinal and plantar stimulation exhibited a synergistic effect in all six subjects, eliciting greater motor responses than either modality alone. While the motor responses to spinal vs. plantar stimulation seems to activate distinct but overlapping spinal neural networks, when engaged simultaneously, the stepping responses were functionally complementary. As observed during induced (involuntary) stepping, the most significant modulation of voluntary stepping occurred in response to the combination of spinal and plantar stimulation. In light of the known automaticity and plasticity of spinal networks in absence of supraspinal input, these findings support the hypothesis that spinal and plantar stimulation may be effective tools for enhancing the recovery of motor control in individuals with neurological injuries and disorders.
10
Javan, Abbas Taghipour, Salar Framarzi, Ahmad Abedi, and Fahime Hassan Nattaj. "Effectiveness of Rhythmic Play on the Attention and Memory Functioning in Children with Mild Intellectual Disability (MID)." International Letters of Social and Humanistic Sciences 17 (November 2013): 9–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.18052/www.scipress.com/ilshs.17.9.
Full textAbstract:
The present paper aimed at investigating the effects of rhythmic play on ID (Intellectually Disabled), children’s attention and memory functioning at the age range of 9-16 years. Research measures included Raven Colored progressive matrixes for children and Canners neuropsychological test and Vinland adaptive behavior scale questionnaire. Statistical population comprised all ID students in elementary schools in the city of Esfahan in the Iranian academic year 2011. The research sample consisted of 20 children with intellectual disability selected by using multistage random sampling. Then, homogeneous in sensory and motor skills, participants were divided into two groups of ten: control and experimental. After receiving the parental consent, the researchers applied rhythmic movements to experimental group twice a week 45 minutes for each session for three months as an intervention program. Eight rhythmic movements (play) were employed in this research. The results revealed that rhythmic movements would affect attention problems (focus of attention, sustained attention, shifting attention, divided attention and attention capacity), general attention, memory (short-term, long-term, working), as well as general learning problems in educable children with intellectual disability according to their performance scales.
11
Pollatou, Elisana, Vassilia Hatzitaki, and Kostandina Karadimou. "Rhythm or Music? Contrasting Two Types of Auditory Stimuli in the Performance of a Dancing Routine." Perceptual and Motor Skills 97, no. 1 (August 2003): 99–106. http://dx.doi.org/10.2466/pms.2003.97.1.99.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether rhythmic beats only or music would be more effective as accompaniment for the motor performance of specific rhythmic-dance steps by 30 female students of physical education ( M age 20.1 yr.), without prior experience in music or dance. They performed a dance routine in synchronization with a musical phrase of eight rhythmical meters, with the general value of 4/4 each. Each meter involved representative steps of the rhythmical values of 4/4, 1/4, 1/8, and 1/16 like rhythmical walking, small kicks, galloping, chassé, cat leap, and different ways of balancing. Subjects performed these in synchronization to the rhythm played on a tambourine or to music played on an harmonium. All movement performances were registered using two video cameras. Differences between the two groups (“rhythm” and “music”) and across the different meters (4/4, 1/8, 1/8, 1/16, 1/4) were analyzed by a mixed between-within subjects 2 × 3 analysis of variance with repeated measures of “meter.” Students who performed with the tambourine showed better synchrony with that external auditory stimulus than students who performed the same routine guided by music played on the harmonium. Also, students showed better synchrony with the external rhythm when performing a whole (4/4 meter) than when performing either the 1/8 or the mixed 1/8–1/16–1/4 meters. These findings suggest that for highly complex artistic movements such as the ones involved in dance, beginners perform much better when their movements are guided by a rhythmical sequence of single beats than when guided by a musical phrase having identical metrical structure.
12
Zschorlich, Volker R., Frank Behrendt, and Marc H. E. de Lussanet. "Multimodal Sensorimotor Integration of Visual and Kinaesthetic Afferents Modulates Motor Circuits in Humans." Brain Sciences 11, no. 2 (February 3, 2021): 187. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11020187.
Full textAbstract:
Optimal motor control requires the effective integration of multi-modal information. Visual information of movement performed by others even enhances potentials in the upper motor neurons through the mirror-neuron system. On the other hand, it is known that motor control is intimately associated with afferent proprioceptive information. Kinaesthetic information is also generated by passive, external-driven movements. In the context of sensory integration, it is an important question how such passive kinaesthetic information and visually perceived movements are integrated. We studied the effects of visual and kinaesthetic information in combination, as well as isolated, on sensorimotor integration, compared to a control condition. For this, we measured the change in the excitability of the motor cortex (M1) using low-intensity Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). We hypothesised that both visual motoneurons and kinaesthetic motoneurons enhance the excitability of motor responses. We found that passive wrist movements increase the motor excitability, suggesting that kinaesthetic motoneurons do exist. The kinaesthetic influence on the motor threshold was even stronger than the visual information. Moreover, the simultaneous visual and passive kinaesthetic information increased the cortical excitability more than each of them independently. Thus, for the first time, we found evidence for the integration of passive kinaesthetic- and visual-sensory stimuli.
13
Hansen, Ernst Albin. "Unprompted Alteration of Freely Chosen Movement Rate During Stereotyped Rhythmic Movement: Examples and Review." Motor Control 25, no. 3 (July 1, 2021): 385–402. http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/mc.2020-0049.
Full textAbstract:
Investigations of behavior and control of voluntary stereotyped rhythmic movement contribute to the enhancement of motor function and performance of disabled, sick, injured, healthy, and exercising humans. The present article presents examples of unprompted alteration of freely chosen movement rate during voluntary stereotyped rhythmic movements. The examples, in the form of both increases and decreases of movement rate, are taken from activities of cycling, finger tapping, and locomotion. It is described that, for example, strength training, changed power output, repeated bouts, and changed locomotion speed can elicit an unprompted alteration of freely chosen movement rate. The discussion of the examples is based on a tripartite interplay between descending drive, rhythm-generating spinal neural networks, and sensory feedback, as well as terminology from dynamic systems theory.
14
Chapman, C. Elaine, and Evelyne Beauchamp. "Differential Controls Over Tactile Detection in Humans by Motor Commands and Peripheral Reafference." Journal of Neurophysiology 96, no. 3 (September 2006): 1664–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.00214.2006.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which motor commands and peripheral reafference differentially control the detection of near-threshold, tactile stimuli. Detection of weak electrical stimuli applied to the index finger (D2) was evaluated with two bias-free measures of sensory detection, the index of detectability ( d′) and the proportion of stimuli detected. Stimuli were presented at different delays prior to and during two motor tasks, D2 abduction, and elbow extension; both tasks were tested in two modes, active and passive. For both active tasks, the peak decrease in tactile suppression occurred at the onset of electromyographic activity. The time course for the suppression of detection during active and passive D2 abduction was identical, and preceded the onset of movement (respectively, −35 and −47 ms). These results suggest that movement reafference alone, acting through a mechanism of backward masking, could explain the modulation seen with D2 movement. In contrast, tactile suppression was significantly earlier for active elbow movements (−59 ms) as compared with passive (−21 ms), an observation consistent with both the motor command and peripheral reafference contributing to the suppression of detection of stimuli applied to D2 during movements about a proximal joint. A role for the motor command in tactile gating during distal movements cannot be discounted, however, because differences in the strength and distribution of the peripheral reafference may also have contributed to the proximo-distal differences in the timing of the suppression.
15
Williams, Harriet, Peter Werner, and George Purgavie. "Relation between Hemispheric Specialization and Gross Motor Control in Normal Right-Handed Children." Perceptual and Motor Skills 63, no. 3 (December 1986): 1227–31. http://dx.doi.org/10.2466/pms.1986.63.3.1227.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the nature of the relationship between gross-motor, eye-hand coordination and hemispheric specialization in normal right-handed children. Participants were 30 children, 75–99 mo. 15 boys and 15 girls performed a gross-motor eye-hand coordination task (a controlled, continuous one-handed ball bounce) and a test of hemispheric specialization. A backscreen tachistoscopic projection system was used to present letters and abstract shapes to left and right visual hemifields. A multivariate analysis of variance yielded a significant main effect for eye-hand coordination but not for sex. Follow-up analyses indicated that speed and accuracy of responses to verbal and spatial stimuli presented to the left cerebral hemisphere were significantly related to proficiency of eye-hand coordination. Data suggest that certain aspects of hemispheric specialization may be important to gross-motor eye-hand coordination in young children. Since the left cerebral hemisphere is the major control center for movements of the right side, the hemisphere which controls movements of a particular side may also assume the major responsibility for processing information needed to regulate those movements.
16
Li, Xiaobing, and Michele A. Basso. "Cues to move increase information in superior colliculus tuning curves." Journal of Neurophysiology 106, no. 2 (August 2011): 690–703. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.00154.2011.
Full textAbstract:
Shifts in the location of spatial attention produce increases in the gain and sensitivity of neuronal responses to sensory stimuli. Cues to shift the line of sight have the same effect on sensory responses in a motor area involved in the control of eye movements, the superior colliculus. Evidence has shown that shifts of gaze and shifts of attention are linked, suggesting there may be similar underlying mechanisms. Here, we report on a novel way in which cues to move the eyes (top-down signals) can influence sensory responses of neurons by altering the variability of their discharge rate. We measured the spatial tuning of superior colliculus neuronal activity in trials with cues to either make or withhold saccadic eye movements. We found that tuning curve widths both increased and decreased, but that the information conveyed by the neuronal discharge about the stimulus increased with a cue to make a saccade. The increase in information resulted partly from a decrease in trial-to-trial variability of neuronal discharges for stimuli located at the flanks of the tuning curves rather than from increases in the discharge rate for stimuli located at the peak of the tuning curves. This result is consistent with theoretical work and provides a novel way for cognitive signals to influence sensory responses within motor regions of the brain.
17
Pahlavan, Farzaneh, Daniel Duda, and Philippe Bonnet. "Direction of Human Motor Responses by Men and Women to Aversive Stimulation." Perceptual and Motor Skills 90, no. 2 (April 2000): 415–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.2466/pms.2000.90.2.415.
Full textAbstract:
The frequency of extensions and flexions of the arms of 12 men and 12 women (ages 20–30 years) responding to a neutral tone or to an electric shock was recorded. Subjects had to choose between pushing or pulling a lever upon receipt of an acoustic signal which was paired or unpaired with an electric shock. They were instructed to perform either long duration movements, allowing for on-line control of the execution, or short duration movements with prior specification of amplitude. Regardless of duration of movements, the aversive signal increased the frequency of extensions and intraindividual variability of choices of the men but decreased the frequency of extensions and intraindividual variability of choices of the women. These findings show that stimuli such as pain or fear automatically elicit patterns of terminal motor states corresponding to fight or flight, initiating processes of preparation of spatially oriented movements which are automatic and sex-typed and impair the use of the terminal cues for simultaneous preprogrammed voluntary movements.
18
Nielsen, Jens Bo. "Sensorimotor integration at spinal level as a basis for muscle coordination during voluntary movement in humans." Journal of Applied Physiology 96, no. 5 (May 2004): 1961–67. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.01073.2003.
Full textAbstract:
Spinal reflexes have traditionally been treated as separate from voluntary movements. However, animal experiments since the 1950s and human experiments since the 1970s have documented that sensory activities in afferents from muscles, skin, and joints are integrated with descending motor commands at the level of common spinal interneurons. Two different roles of this sensorimotor integration at the spinal level may be discerned. First, sensory feedback evoked by the active muscles may help to drive the motoneurons. Second, external stimuli, such as sudden perturbations of a limb, may give rise to “error signals,” which are integrated into the ongoing motor activity and form the basis of corrective responses. When interpreting experimental data, it is important to consider these two different roles. Application of external stimuli may provide little information about how the spinal cord integrates sensory feedback evoked as part of ongoing movements. The complexity of the spinal machinery that is activated by external stimuli also makes the interpretation of data obtained from experiments dealing with artificial external stimuli, such as electrical stimuli, difficult. Nevertheless, such experiments have provided and will continue to provide very valuable information about how the brain and spinal cord ensure coordination of muscle activity during voluntary movement. So far, spinal control mechanisms have only been investigated to a limited extent in relation to sports and occupational activities. Provided that researchers consider the methodological problems of the techniques and that they seek independent validation of the findings, this may be a very fruitful research field in the future.
19
Ebersbach, Georg, Milan R. Dimitrijevic, and Werner Poewe. "Influence of Concurrent Tasks on Gait: A Dual-Task Approach." Perceptual and Motor Skills 81, no. 1 (August 1995): 107–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.2466/pms.1995.81.1.107.
Full textAbstract:
We studied the effect of concurrent tasks on motor control of gait with dual-task methodology. Ten healthy subjects were instructed to perform different cognitive and motor tasks during gait on a conductive walkway. Footswitch signals were recorded and stride time and double-support time were calculated. It was assumed that the former reflects gait-patterning mechanisms and the latter relates to balance control. Statistical analysis showed an increase in double-support time when a memory-retention task (digit-span) and a fine motor task (buttoning) were executed simultaneously during gait. During gait performance of the cognitive task declined compared to baseline conditions. Attentional demand of concurrent cognitive and motor tasks appeared to force subjects to modulate their gait strategy to ensure control of balance. Stride time was consistent across task conditions except when subjects performed fast finger-tapping during gait. Then all but one subject showed a decrease in stride time and an increase in stride-frequency that was repeatable on retest. Since different rhythmic movements are likely to share common neurobiological networks, we assumed that the modulation of stride-frequency was due to structural interference.
20
Lancioni, Giulio E., Mark F. O'Reilly, Nirbhay N. Singh, Jeff Sigafoos, Robert Didden, Doretta Oliva, and Gianluigi Montironi. "Persons with Multiple Disabilities and Minimal Motor Behavior Using Small Forehead Movements and New Microswitch Technology to Control Environmental Stimuli." Perceptual and Motor Skills 104, no. 3 (June 2007): 870–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.2466/pms.104.3.870-878.
Full textAbstract:
Persons with multiple disabilities and minimal motor behavior may be unable to use available microswitch technology to control environmental stimuli. For these persons, one may need to rely on small motor expressions (as responses) and new, matching microswitch technology to ensure a successful outcome. In the present study, a small movement of the forehead skin was selected as the response for two participants (ages 6.5 and 14.2 years) with profound multiple disabilities. The microswitch technology included (a) an optic sensor, i.e., barcode reader, (b) a small tag with horizontal bars attached to the participants' forehead, and (c) an electronic control system which activated stimuli in relation to response occurrence. Movement of the forehead skin shifted up or down the tag with bars and this shifting, if greater than a preset limit and therefore recorded as a response, led to the activation of the control system. Each participant received an ABAB sequence, in which A represented baseline and B intervention phases, and a 6-wk. postintervention check. Analysis showed both participants increased their responding during the intervention phases and maintained that responding at the postintervention check. Implications of the findings were discussed.
21
Pearson, Martin J., Ben Mitchinson, J. Charles Sullivan, Anthony G. Pipe, and Tony J. Prescott. "Biomimetic vibrissal sensing for robots." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 366, no. 1581 (November 12, 2011): 3085–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2011.0164.
Full textAbstract:
Active vibrissal touch can be used to replace or to supplement sensory systems such as computer vision and, therefore, improve the sensory capacity of mobile robots. This paper describes how arrays of whisker-like touch sensors have been incorporated onto mobile robot platforms taking inspiration from biology for their morphology and control. There were two motivations for this work: first, to build a physical platform on which to model, and therefore test, recent neuroethological hypotheses about vibrissal touch; second, to exploit the control strategies and morphology observed in the biological analogue to maximize the quality and quantity of tactile sensory information derived from the artificial whisker array. We describe the design of a new whiskered robot, Shrewbot , endowed with a biomimetic array of individually controlled whiskers and a neuroethologically inspired whisking pattern generation mechanism. We then present results showing how the morphology of the whisker array shapes the sensory surface surrounding the robot's head, and demonstrate the impact of active touch control on the sensory information that can be acquired by the robot. We show that adopting bio-inspired, low latency motor control of the rhythmic motion of the whiskers in response to contact-induced stimuli usefully constrains the sensory range, while also maximizing the number of whisker contacts. The robot experiments also demonstrate that the sensory consequences of active touch control can be usefully investigated in biomimetic robots.
22
Karabanov, Anke, Seung-Hyun Jin, Atte Joutsen, Brach Poston, Joshua Aizen, Aviva Ellenstein, and Mark Hallett. "Timing-dependent modulation of the posterior parietal cortex–primary motor cortex pathway by sensorimotor training." Journal of Neurophysiology 107, no. 11 (June 1, 2012): 3190–99. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.01049.2011.
Full textAbstract:
Interplay between posterior parietal cortex (PPC) and ipsilateral primary motor cortex (M1) is crucial during execution of movements. The purpose of the study was to determine whether functional PPC–M1 connectivity in humans can be modulated by sensorimotor training. Seventeen participants performed a sensorimotor training task that involved tapping the index finger in synchrony to a rhythmic sequence. To explore differences in training modality, one group ( n = 8) learned by visual and the other ( n = 9) by auditory stimuli. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to assess PPC–M1 connectivity before and after training, whereas electroencephalography (EEG) was used to assess PPC–M1 connectivity during training. Facilitation from PPC to M1 was quantified using paired-pulse TMS at conditioning-test intervals of 2, 4, 6, and 8 ms by measuring motor-evoked potentials (MEPs). TMS was applied at baseline and at four time points (0, 30, 60, and 180 min) after training. For EEG, task-related power and coherence were calculated for early and late training phases. The conditioned MEP was facilitated at a 2-ms conditioning-test interval before training. However, facilitation was abolished immediately following training, but returned to baseline at subsequent time points. Regional EEG activity and interregional connectivity between PPC and M1 showed an initial increase during early training followed by a significant decrease in the late phases. The findings indicate that parietal–motor interactions are activated during early sensorimotor training when sensory information has to be integrated into a coherent movement plan. Once the sequence is encoded and movements become automatized, PPC–M1 connectivity returns to baseline.
23
Cannon, Jonathan. "Expectancy-based rhythmic entrainment as continuous Bayesian inference." PLOS Computational Biology 17, no. 6 (June 9, 2021): e1009025. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009025.
Full textAbstract:
When presented with complex rhythmic auditory stimuli, humans are able to track underlying temporal structure (e.g., a “beat”), both covertly and with their movements. This capacity goes far beyond that of a simple entrained oscillator, drawing on contextual and enculturated timing expectations and adjusting rapidly to perturbations in event timing, phase, and tempo. Previous modeling work has described how entrainment to rhythms may be shaped by event timing expectations, but sheds little light on any underlying computational principles that could unify the phenomenon of expectation-based entrainment with other brain processes. Inspired by the predictive processing framework, we propose that the problem of rhythm tracking is naturally characterized as a problem of continuously estimating an underlying phase and tempo based on precise event times and their correspondence to timing expectations. We present two inference problems formalizing this insight: PIPPET (Phase Inference from Point Process Event Timing) and PATIPPET (Phase and Tempo Inference). Variational solutions to these inference problems resemble previous “Dynamic Attending” models of perceptual entrainment, but introduce new terms representing the dynamics of uncertainty and the influence of expectations in the absence of sensory events. These terms allow us to model multiple characteristics of covert and motor human rhythm tracking not addressed by other models, including sensitivity of error corrections to inter-event interval and perceived tempo changes induced by event omissions. We show that positing these novel influences in human entrainment yields a range of testable behavioral predictions. Guided by recent neurophysiological observations, we attempt to align the phase inference framework with a specific brain implementation. We also explore the potential of this normative framework to guide the interpretation of experimental data and serve as building blocks for even richer predictive processing and active inference models of timing.
24
Donnet, Sophie, Ramon Bartolo, José Maria Fernandes, João Paulo Silva Cunha, Luis Prado, and Hugo Merchant. "Monkeys time their pauses of movement and not their movement-kinematics during a synchronization-continuation rhythmic task." Journal of Neurophysiology 111, no. 10 (May 15, 2014): 2138–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.00802.2013.
Full textAbstract:
A critical question in tapping behavior is to understand whether the temporal control is exerted on the duration and trajectory of the downward-upward hand movement or on the pause between hand movements. In the present study, we determined the duration of both the movement execution and pauses of monkeys performing a synchronization-continuation task (SCT), using the speed profile of their tapping behavior. We found a linear increase in the variance of pause-duration as a function of interval, while the variance of the motor implementation was relatively constant across intervals. In fact, 96% of the variability of the duration of a complete tapping cycle (pause + movement) was due to the variability of the pause duration. In addition, we performed a Bayesian model selection to determine the effect of interval duration (450–1,000 ms), serial-order (1–6 produced intervals), task phase (sensory cued or internally driven), and marker modality (auditory or visual) on the duration of the movement-pause and tapping movement. The results showed that the most important parameter used to successfully perform the SCT was the control of the pause duration. We also found that the kinematics of the tapping movements was concordant with a stereotyped ballistic control of the hand pressing the push-button. The present findings support the idea that monkeys used an explicit timing strategy to perform the SCT, where a dedicated timing mechanism controlled the duration of the pauses of movement, while also triggered the execution of fixed movements across each interval of the rhythmic sequence.
25
Berg, Rune W., and David Kleinfeld. "Rhythmic Whisking by Rat: Retraction as Well as Protraction of the Vibrissae Is Under Active Muscular Control." Journal of Neurophysiology 89, no. 1 (January 1, 2003): 104–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.00600.2002.
Full textAbstract:
The rhythmic motor activity of the vibrissae that rodents use for the tactile localization of objects provides a model system for understanding patterned motor activity in mammals. The muscles that drive this whisking are only partially fixed relative to bony attachments and thus shift their position along with the movement. As a means to characterize the pattern of muscular dynamics during different patterns of whisking, we recorded electromyogram (EMG) activity from the muscles that propel individual follicles, as well as EMG activity from a muscle group that moves the mystacial pad. The dominant pattern of whisking in our behavioral paradigm, referred to as exploratory whisking, consisted of large amplitude sweeps in the frequency range of 5–15 Hz. The frequency remained remarkably constant within a bout of whisking but changed values between bouts. The extrinsic musculature, which shifts the surface of the pad backwards, was found to be activated in approximate antiphase to that of the intrinsic muscles, which rotate individual vibrissae forward. Thus retraction of the vibrissae was driven by a backward shift in the attachment point of the follicles to the mystacial pad. In a less frequent pattern of whisking, referred to as foveal whisking, the vibrissae are thrust forward and palpate objects with low-amplitude movements that are in the higher frequency range of 15–25 Hz. Protraction of the vibrissae remains driven by the intrinsic muscles, while retraction in this pattern is largely passive. Interestingly, a mechanical argument suggests that activation of the extrinsic muscles during foveal whisking is not expected to affect the angle of the vibrissae. As a means to establish if the phasic control of the intrinsic versus extrinsic muscles depended on sensory feedback, we characterized whisking before and after bilateral transections of the infraorbital branch of the trigeminal sensory nerve. The loss of sensory feedback had no net effect on the antiphase relation between activation of the intrinsic versus extrinsic muscles over the full frequency range for exploratory whisking. These data point to the existence of a dual-phase central pattern generator that drives the vibrissae.
26
Gowda, Swetha B. M., Pushkar D. Paranjpe, O. Venkateswara Reddy, Devasena Thiagarajan, Sudhir Palliyil, Heinrich Reichert, and K. VijayRaghavan. "GABAergic inhibition of leg motoneurons is required for normal walking behavior in freely moving Drosophila." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115, no. 9 (February 13, 2018): E2115—E2124. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1713869115.
Full textAbstract:
Walking is a complex rhythmic locomotor behavior generated by sequential and periodical contraction of muscles essential for coordinated control of movements of legs and leg joints. Studies of walking in vertebrates and invertebrates have revealed that premotor neural circuitry generates a basic rhythmic pattern that is sculpted by sensory feedback and ultimately controls the amplitude and phase of the motor output to leg muscles. However, the identity and functional roles of the premotor interneurons that directly control leg motoneuron activity are poorly understood. Here we take advantage of the powerful genetic methodology available in Drosophila to investigate the role of premotor inhibition in walking by genetically suppressing inhibitory input to leg motoneurons. For this, we have developed an algorithm for automated analysis of leg motion to characterize the walking parameters of wild-type flies from high-speed video recordings. Further, we use genetic reagents for targeted RNAi knockdown of inhibitory neurotransmitter receptors in leg motoneurons together with quantitative analysis of resulting changes in leg movement parameters in freely walking Drosophila. Our findings indicate that targeted down-regulation of the GABAA receptor Rdl (Resistance to Dieldrin) in leg motoneurons results in a dramatic reduction of walking speed and step length without the loss of general leg coordination during locomotion. Genetically restricting the knockdown to the adult stage and subsets of motoneurons yields qualitatively identical results. Taken together, these findings identify GABAergic premotor inhibition of motoneurons as an important determinant of correctly coordinated leg movements and speed of walking in freely behaving Drosophila.
27
Juravle, Georgiana, Tobias Heed, Charles Spence, and Brigitte Roeder. "Electrophysiological correlates of tactile and visual perception during goal-directed movement." Seeing and Perceiving 25 (2012): 170. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/187847612x648008.
Full textAbstract:
Tactile information arriving at our sensory receptors is differentially processed over the various temporal phases of goal-directed movements. By using event-related potentials (ERPs), we investigated the neuronal correlates of tactile information processing during movement. Participants performed goal-directed reaches for an object placed centrally on the table in front of them. Tactile and visual stimuli were presented in separate trials during the different phases of the movement (i.e., preparation, execution, and post-movement). These stimuli were independently delivered to either the moving or the resting hand. In a control condition, the participants only performed the movement, while omission (movement-only) ERPs were recorded. Participants were told to ignore the presence or absence of any sensory events and solely concentrate on the execution of the movement. The results highlighted enhanced ERPs between 80 and 200 ms after tactile stimulation, and between 100 and 250 ms after visual stimulation. These modulations were greatest over the execution phase of the goal-directed movement, they were effector-based (i.e., significantly more negative for stimuli presented at the moving hand), and modality-independent (i.e., similar ERP enhancements were observed for both tactile and visual stimuli). The enhanced processing of sensory information over the execution phase of the movement suggests that incoming sensory information may be used for a potential adjustment of the current motor plan. Moreover, these results indicate a tight interaction between attentional mechanisms and the sensorimotor system.
28
Chung, Bryce, Julien Bacqué-Cazenave, David W. Cofer, Daniel Cattaert, and Donald H. Edwards. "The effect of sensory feedback on crayfish posture and locomotion: I. Experimental analysis of closing the loop." Journal of Neurophysiology 113, no. 6 (March 15, 2015): 1763–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.00248.2014.
Full textAbstract:
The effect of proprioceptive feedback on the control of posture and locomotion was studied in the crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Girard). Sensory and motor nerves of an isolated crayfish thoracic nerve cord were connected to a computational neuromechanical model of the crayfish thorax and leg. Recorded levator (Lev) and depressor (Dep) nerve activity drove the model Lev and Dep muscles to move the leg up and down. These movements released and stretched a model stretch receptor, the coxobasal chordotonal organ (CBCO). Model CBCO length changes drove identical changes in the real CBCO; CBCO afferent responses completed the feedback loop. In a quiescent preparation, imposed model leg lifts evoked resistance reflexes in the Dep motor neurons that drove the leg back down. A muscarinic agonist, oxotremorine, induced an active state in which spontaneous Lev/Dep burst pairs occurred and an imposed leg lift excited a Lev assistance reflex followed by a Lev/Dep burst pair. When the feedback loop was intact, Lev/Dep burst pairs moved the leg up and down rhythmically at nearly three times the frequency of burst pairs when the feedback loop was open. The increased rate of rhythmic bursting appeared to result from the positive feedback produced by the assistance reflex.
29
Lancioni, G. E., M. F. O'Reilly, N. N. Singh, J. Sigafoos, R. Didden, D. Oliva, G. Montironi, and M. L. La Martire. "Small Hand-Closure Movements Used as a Response through Microswitch Technology by Persons with Multiple Disabilities and Minimal Motor Behavior." Perceptual and Motor Skills 104, no. 3 (June 2007): 1027–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.2466/pms.104.3.1027-1034.
Full textAbstract:
This study assessed small hand-closure movements as a potential response for microswitch activation with two participants with profound multiple disabilities of 5.2 and 20.6 yr. of age. The microswitch consisted of a two-membrane thin pad fixed to the palm of the hand and a control system. The outer membrane (the one facing the fingers) was a touch-sensitive layer; the inner membrane was activated if the participant applied a pressure of over 20 gm. The activation of either membrane triggered an electronic control system, which in turn activated one or more preferred stimuli for 6 sec. except in baseline phases. Each participant received an ABAB sequence, in which A represented baseline and B intervention phases, and a 1-mo. postintervention check. Analysis showed both participants increased their responding during the intervention phases and maintained that responding at the postintervention check. Implications of the findings are discussed.
30
Chikh, Soufien, Hajer Mguidich, Hichem Souissi, and Eric Watelain. "How Does the Central Nervous System Control Forthcoming Movement with Different Emotional Stimuli?" Perceptual and Motor Skills 129, no. 2 (January 22, 2022): 217–31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00315125211070107.
Full textAbstract:
Maintaining postural balance is a key factor in human motor skills, based in part on emotional stimuli. Our objective in this study was to measure the effect of emotion on postural control as influenced by the direction of forthcoming movement. Eighteen right-handed women initiated a step forward or backward or remained in a static position after visualizing an emotional stimulus (positive, negative, or neutral). Center of pressure (COP) parameters (2D velocity, Medio-lateral (ML), and antero-posterior (AP) amplitude) were recorded for 3-second windows for movement direction and emotional stimulus. We observed a motion * direction effect on 2D velocity, characterized by a decrease in the emotional stimulus and static direction windows. The participants’ ML amplitude was influenced by direction, and their reduced amplitude was evident in the presence of emotions. AP amplitude was high in the direction versus emotion window. In the static position, the AP amplitude was high in the direction window and low in the emotion window. The participants’ movement planning and programming phase (direction window) was characterized by less oscillation for forward or backward movements and more oscillation before movement, suggesting anticipatory postural adjustments in the emotion window. Static direction was characterized by low oscillation, compared to forward and backward movement and in negative versus positive emotional context, proving the interactive impact of direction and emotion on COP amplitudes. Thus, postural control was influenced by both movement (direction) and emotional content (valence). This study provided insight regarding the interactive effect of emotion and direction on planning and programming forthcoming movement.
31
Garrick-Bethell, Ian, Thomas Jarchow, Heiko Hecht, and Laurence R. Young. "Vestibular adaptation to centrifugation does not transfer across planes of head rotation." Journal of Vestibular Research 18, no. 1 (July 1, 2008): 25–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/ves-2008-18103.
Full textAbstract:
Out-of-plane head movements performed during fast rotation produce non-compensatory nystagmus, sensations of illusory motion, and often motion sickness. Adaptation to this cross-coupled Coriolis stimulus has previously been demonstrated for head turns made in the yaw (transverse) plane of motion, during supine head-on-axis rotation. An open question, however, is if adaptation to head movements in one plane of motion transfers to head movements performed in a new, unpracticed plane of motion. Evidence of transfer would imply the brain builds up a generalized model of the vestibular sensory-motor system, instead of learning a variety of individual input/output relations separately. To investigate, over two days 9 subjects performed pitch head turns (sagittal plane) while rotating, before and after a series of yaw head turns while rotating. A Control Group of 10 subjects performed only the pitch movements. The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) and sensations of illusory motion were recorded in the dark for all movements. Upon comparing the two groups we failed to find any evidence of transfer from the yaw plane to the pitch plane, suggesting that adaptation to cross-coupled stimuli is specific to the particular plane of head movement. The findings have applications for the use of centrifugation as a possible countermeasure for long duration spaceflight. Adapting astronauts to unconstrained head movements while rotating will likely require exposure to head movements in all planes and directions.
32
Brumberg, Jonathan S., and Kevin M. Pitt. "Motor-Induced Suppression of the N100 Event-Related Potential During Motor Imagery Control of a Speech Synthesizer Brain–Computer Interface." Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 62, no. 7 (July 15, 2019): 2133–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1044/2019_jslhr-s-msc18-18-0198.
Full textAbstract:
Purpose Speech motor control relies on neural processes for generating sensory expectations using an efference copy mechanism to maintain accurate productions. The N100 auditory event-related potential (ERP) has been identified as a possible neural marker of the efference copy with a reduced amplitude during active listening while speaking when compared to passive listening. This study investigates N100 suppression while controlling a motor imagery speech synthesizer brain–computer interface (BCI) with instantaneous auditory feedback to determine whether similar mechanisms are used for monitoring BCI-based speech output that may both support BCI learning through existing speech motor networks and be used as a clinical marker for the speech network integrity in individuals without severe speech and physical impairments. Method The motor-induced N100 suppression is examined based on data from 10 participants who controlled a BCI speech synthesizer using limb motor imagery. We considered listening to auditory target stimuli (without motor imagery) in the BCI study as passive listening and listening to BCI-controlled speech output (with motor imagery) as active listening since audio output depends on imagined movements. The resulting ERP was assessed for statistical significance using a mixed-effects general linear model. Results Statistically significant N100 ERP amplitude differences were observed between active and passive listening during the BCI task. Post hoc analyses confirm the N100 amplitude was suppressed during active listening. Conclusion Observation of the N100 suppression suggests motor planning brain networks are active as participants control the BCI synthesizer, which may aid speech BCI mastery.
33
Hess, Dietmar, and Ansgar Büschges. "Role of Proprioceptive Signals From an Insect Femur-Tibia Joint in Patterning Motoneuronal Activity of an Adjacent Leg Joint." Journal of Neurophysiology 81, no. 4 (April 1, 1999): 1856–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.1999.81.4.1856.
Full textAbstract:
Role of proprioceptive signals from an insect femur-tibia joint in patterning motoneuronal activity of an adjacent leg joint. Interjoint reflex function of the insect leg contributes to postural control at rest or to movement control during locomotor movements. In the stick insect ( Carausius morosus), we investigated the role that sensory signals from the femoral chordotonal organ (fCO), the transducer of the femur-tibia (FT) joint, play in patterning motoneuronal activity in the adjacent coxa-trochanteral (CT) joint when the joint control networks are in the movement control mode of the active behavioral state. In the active behavioral state, sensory signals from the fCO induced transitions of activity between antagonistic motoneuron pools, i.e., the levator trochanteris and the depressor trochanteris motoneurons. As such, elongation of the fCO, signaling flexion of the FT joint, terminated depressor motoneuron activity and initiated activity in levator motoneurons. Relaxation of the fCO, signaling extension of the FT joint, induced the opposite transition by initiating depressor motoneuron activity and terminating levator motoneuron activity. This interjoint influence of sensory signals from the fCO was independent of the generation of the intrajoint reflex reversal in the FT joint, i.e., the “active reaction,” which is released by elongation signals from the fCO. The generation of these transitions in activity of trochanteral motoneurons barely depended on position or velocity signals from the fCO. This contrasts with the situation in the resting behavioral state when interjoint reflex action markedly depends on actual fCO stimulus parameters, i.e., position and velocity signals. In the active behavioral state, movement signals from the fCO obviously trigger or release centrally generated transitions in motoneuron activity, e.g., by affecting central rhythm generating networks driving trochanteral motoneuron pools. This conclusion was tested by stimulating the fCO in “fictive rhythmic” preparations, activated by the muscarinic agonist pilocarpine in the otherwise isolated and deafferented mesothoracic ganglion. In this situation, sensory signals from the fCO did in fact reset and entrain rhythmic activity in trochanteral motoneurons. The results indicate for the first time that when the stick insect locomotor system is active, sensory signals from the proprioceptor of one leg joint, i.e., the fCO, pattern motor activity in an adjacent leg joint, i.e., the CT joint, by affecting the central rhythm generating network driving the motoneurons of the adjacent joint.
34
Bouvet, Cécile J., Benoît G. Bardy, Peter E. Keller, Simone Dalla Bella, Sylvie Nozaradan, and Manuel Varlet. "Accent-induced Modulation of Neural and Movement Patterns during Spontaneous Synchronization to Auditory Rhythms." Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 32, no. 12 (December 2020): 2260–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_01605.
Full textAbstract:
Human rhythmic movements spontaneously synchronize with auditory rhythms at various frequency ratios. The emergence of more complex relationships—for instance, frequency ratios of 1:2 and 1:3—is enhanced by adding a congruent accentuation pattern (binary for 1:2 and ternary for 1:3), resulting in a 1:1 movement–accentuation relationship. However, this benefit of accentuation on movement synchronization appears to be stronger for the ternary pattern than for the binary pattern. Here, we investigated whether this difference in accent-induced movement synchronization may be related to a difference in the neural tracking of these accentuation profiles. Accented and control unaccented auditory sequences were presented to participants who concurrently produced finger taps at their preferred frequency, and spontaneous movement synchronization was measured. EEG was recorded during passive listening to each auditory sequence. The results revealed that enhanced movement synchronization with ternary accentuation was accompanied by enhanced neural tracking of this pattern. Larger EEG responses at the accentuation frequency were found for the ternary pattern compared with the binary pattern. Moreover, the amplitude of accent-induced EEG responses was positively correlated with the magnitude of accent-induced movement synchronization across participants. Altogether, these findings show that the dynamics of spontaneous auditory–motor synchronization is strongly driven by the multi-time-scale sensory processing of auditory rhythms, highlighting the importance of considering neural responses to rhythmic sequences for understanding and enhancing synchronization performance.
35
Harish, Omri, and David Golomb. "Control of the Firing Patterns of Vibrissa Motoneurons by Modulatory and Phasic Synaptic Inputs: A Modeling Study." Journal of Neurophysiology 103, no. 5 (May 2010): 2684–99. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.01016.2009.
Full textAbstract:
Vibrissa motoneurons (vMNs) generate rhythmic firing that controls whisker movements, even without cortical, cerebellar, or sensory inputs. vMNs receive serotonergic modulation from brain stem areas, which mainly increases their persistent sodium conductance ( gNaP) and, possibly, phasic input from a putative central pattern generator (CPG). In response to serotonergic modulation or just-suprathreshold current steps, vMNs fire at low rates, below the firing frequency of exploratory whisking. In response to periodic inputs, vMNs exhibit nonlinear suprathreshold resonance in frequency ranges of exploratory whisking. To determine how firing patterns of vMNs are determined by their 1) intrinsic ionic conductances and 2) responses to periodic input from a putative CPG and to serotonergic modulation, we construct and analyze a single-compartment, conductance-based model of vMNs. Low firing rates are supported in extended regimes by adaptation currents and the minimal firing rate decreases with gNaP and increases with M-potassium and h-cation conductances. Suprathreshold resonance results from the locking properties of vMN firing to stimuli and from reduction of firing rates at low frequencies by slow M and afterhyperpolarization potassium conductances. h conductance only slightly affects the suprathreshold resonance. When a vMN is subjected to a small periodic CPG input, serotonergically induced gNaP elevation may transfer the system from quiescence to a firing state that is highly locked to the CPG input. Thus we conclude that for vMNs, the CPG controls firing frequency and phase and enables bursting, whereas serotonergic modulation controls transitions from quiescence to firing unless the CPG input is sufficiently strong.
36
Sanders, Joshua I., and Adam Kepecs. "Choice ball: a response interface for two-choice psychometric discrimination in head-fixed mice." Journal of Neurophysiology 108, no. 12 (December 15, 2012): 3416–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.00669.2012.
Full textAbstract:
The mouse is an important model system for investigating the neural circuits mediating behavior. Because of advances in imaging and optogenetic methods, head-fixed mouse preparations provide an unparalleled opportunity to observe and control neural circuits. To investigate how neural circuits produce behavior, these methods need to be paired with equally well-controlled and monitored behavioral paradigms. Here, we introduce the choice ball, a response device that enables two-alternative forced-choice (2AFC) tasks in head-fixed mice based on the readout of lateral paw movements. We demonstrate the advantages of the choice ball by training mice in the random-click task, a two-choice auditory discrimination behavior. For each trial, mice listened to binaural streams of Poisson-distributed clicks and were required to roll the choice ball laterally toward the side with the greater click rate. In this assay, mice performed hundreds of trials per session with accuracy ranging from 95% for easy stimuli (large interaural click-rate contrast) to near chance level for low-contrast stimuli. We also show, using the record of individual paw strokes, that mice often reverse decisions they have already initiated and that decision reversals correlate with improved performance. The choice ball enables head-fixed 2AFC paradigms, facilitating the circuit-level analysis of sensory processing, decision making, and motor control in mice.
37
de Brouwer, Sophie, Demet Yuksel, Gunnar Blohm, Marcus Missal, and Philippe Lefèvre. "What Triggers Catch-Up Saccades During Visual Tracking?" Journal of Neurophysiology 87, no. 3 (March 1, 2002): 1646–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.00432.2001.
Full textAbstract:
When tracking moving visual stimuli, primates orient their visual axis by combining two kinds of eye movements, smooth pursuit and saccades, that have very different dynamics. Yet, the mechanisms that govern the decision to switch from one type of eye movement to the other are still poorly understood, even though they could bring a significant contribution to the understanding of how the CNS combines different kinds of control strategies to achieve a common motor and sensory goal. In this study, we investigated the oculomotor responses to a large range of different combinations of position error and velocity error during visual tracking of moving stimuli in humans. We found that the oculomotor system uses a prediction of the time at which the eye trajectory will cross the target, defined as the “eye crossing time” ( T XE). The eye crossing time, which depends on both position error and velocity error, is the criterion used to switch between smooth and saccadic pursuit, i.e., to trigger catch-up saccades. On average, for T XEbetween 40 and 180 ms, no saccade is triggered and target tracking remains purely smooth. Conversely, when T XEbecomes smaller than 40 ms or larger than 180 ms, a saccade is triggered after a short latency (around 125 ms).
38
Matheson, T. "Octopamine modulates the responses and presynaptic inhibition of proprioceptive sensory neurones in the locust Schistocerca gregaria." Journal of Experimental Biology 200, no. 9 (January 1, 1997): 1317–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.200.9.1317.
Full textAbstract:
A multineuronal proprioceptor, the femoral chordotonal organ (feCO), monitors the position and movements of the tibia of an insect leg. Superfusing the locust metathoracic feCO with the neuromodulator octopamine, or the octopamine agonist synephrine, affects the position (tonic) component of the organ's response, but not the movement (phasic) component. Both octopamine and synephrine act with the same threshold (10(-6) mol l-1). Individual sensory neurones that respond tonically at flexed tibial angles show increased tonic spike activity following application of octopamine, but those that respond at extended angles do not. Tonic spiking of phaso-tonic flexion-sensitive neurones is enhanced but their phasic spiking is unaffected. Bath application of octopamine to the feCO increases the tonic component of presynaptic inhibition recorded in the sensory terminals, but not the phasic component. This inhibition should at least partially counteract the increased sensory spiking and reduce its effect on postsynaptic targets such as motor neurones. Furthermore, some phasic sensory neurones whose spiking is not affected by octopamine nevertheless show enhanced tonic synaptic inputs. The chordotonal organ is not known to be under direct efferent control, but its output is modified by octopamine acting on its sensory neurones to alter their responsiveness to mechanical stimuli and by presynaptic inhibition acting on their central branches. The effects of this neuromodulator acting peripherally on sensory neurones are therefore further complicated by indirect interactions between the sensory neurones within the central nervous system. Increases of sensory neurone spiking caused by neuromodulators may not necessarily lead to parallel increases in the responses of postsynaptic target neurones.
39
WEYAND, THEODORE G., and ADELE C. GAFKA. "Activity of neurons in area 6 of the cat during fixation and eye movements." Visual Neuroscience 15, no. 1 (January 1998): 123–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0952523898151088.
Full textAbstract:
We studied the visuomotor properties of 645 neurons in area 6 of five cats trained in oculomotor tasks. The area we recorded from corresponds well with territories believed to contain the feline homologue of the frontal eye fields observed in primates. Despite an expectation that cells with pre-saccadic activity would be common, only a small fraction (∼5%) of the cells displayed activity that could be linked to subsequent saccadic eye movements. These pre-motor cells appeared to be distributed over a broad region of cortex mixed in with other cell types. As in primates, saccade-related activity tended to occur only during “purposeful” saccades. At least 30% (208/645) of the neurons were visual, with many of these cells possessing huge receptive fields that appeared to include the entire contralateral visual field. Visual responsiveness was generally attenuated by fixation during the oculomotor tasks. Although attentional mechanisms may play a role in this attenuation, this cortical area also exhibits powerful lateral interactions in which spatially displaced visual stimuli suppress each other. Most cells, visually responsive or not, were affected by fixation. Nearly equal proportions of cells showed increases or decreases in activity during fixation. For many of the cells affected by fixation, the source of this modulation appears to reflect cognitive, rather than sensory or motor processes. This included cells that showed anticipatory activity, and cells that responded to the reward only when it was presented in the context of the task. Based on the paucity of pre-saccadic neurons, it would be difficult to conclude that this region of cortex in the cat is homologous to the frontal eye fields of the monkey. However, when considered in the context of differences in the oculomotor habits of these two animals, we believe the homology fits. In addition to pre-motor neurons, the properties of several other cell types found in this area could contribute to the control of gaze.
40
Dominick, O. S., and J. W. Truman. "The physiology of wandering behaviour in Manduca sexta. III. Organization of wandering behaviour in the larval nervous system." Journal of Experimental Biology 121, no. 1 (March 1, 1986): 115–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.121.1.115.
Full textAbstract:
The locomotor patterns typical of wandering behaviour were studied electromyographically in abdominal segments of freely moving larvae of Manduca sexta. Crawling locomotion consisted of stereotyped, anteriorly-directed, peristaltic waves of intersegmental muscle contraction. During burrowing the intersegmental muscles of all abdominal segments contracted simultaneously for several consecutive cycles and then performed a single bout of the crawling pattern. Sensory inputs determined which motor patterns were used and how they were modified. Local sensory inputs could modify patterns in the specific segments affected. The neural circuitry that was required to generate the peristaltic and bracing patterns was repeated among the thoracic and abdominal ganglia, and normally wa activated by the suboesophageal ganglion (SEG) and brain. In the absence of connections with the SEG and brain the segmental motor pattern generators could be activated by strong sensory stimuli. When the thoracic and abdominal segments lacked connections with the SEG, spontaneous movements were infrequent prior to wandering, but increased markedly at wandering or following 20-hydroxyecdysone (20-HE) infusion. Prior to wandering the SEG drives spontaneous locomotion in debrained larvae, but this function disappears in wandering larvae, or following 20-HE infusion. Prior to wandering the brain exerted a net inhibitory influence on locomotion. Removal of the medial region of the brain abolished this inhibition, resulting in strong, continuous locomotion which was driven by the lateral region of the brain. This lateral excitatory function of the brain was not altered by 20-HE infusion prior to wandering, nor did it change with the appearance of wandering behaviour. We conclude that the locomotor patterns used during wandering are produced by pattern generators in the segmental ganglia and are modified by sensory information. The circuitry responsible for activating these motor pattern generators is associated with the SEG, and is under the control of the brain. The brain exerts a net inhibitory influence prior to wandering, which becomes excitatory during wandering. Ecdysteroids appear to alter locomotor function by acting at various levels including the segmental ganglia, the SEG and the brain. A model is advanced describing this effect.
41
Fawaz, Shereen I., Shin-Ichi Izumi, Soha M. Hamada, Abir A. Omara, Ghada O. Wassef, Heba Gamal Saber, and Sherihan M. Salama. "Role of Cervical Spinal Magnetic Stimulation in Improving Posture and Functional Ambulation of Patients with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis." Rehabilitation Research and Practice 2022 (November 21, 2022): 1–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/6009104.
Full textAbstract:
Balance impairment is one of the hallmarks of early MS. Proprioceptive deficit was found to be one of the main causes of this imbalance. The cervical enlargement has a strong proprioceptive system, with its projections to the reticular formation and the central pattern generators, helping in rhythmic pattern generation and alternate leg movements. Repetitive trans-spinal magnetic stimulation (rTSMS) is a noninvasive technique, which can trigger massive proprioceptive afferents. Therefore, it has the potential of improving proprioceptive deficits and motor control. Objective. To determine the effectiveness of repetitive cervical magnetic stimulation in improving functional ambulation of patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Design. Prospective sequential clinical trial. Setting. University and academic hospital. Participants. A total of 32 participants ( N = 32 ) with RRMS. Interventions. Outpatient rehabilitation. The 32 patients received 10 sessions over two weeks of 20 Hz cervical spinal magnetic stimulation (SMS). Both groups were assessed at baseline, after 2 weeks, then one month later. Patients were enrolled as a control group at first and received Sham SMS, and then a wash out period of one month was done for all the patients, followed by a baseline assessment. Second, the same 32 patients rejoined as the active group, which received real magnetic stimulation. Both groups performed an intensive physical therapy program with the spinal magnetic stimulation. Main Outcome Measures. Extended Disability status score (EDSS), Timed up and Go test (TUG), Mini-Best test, dynamic posturography sensory organization composite score, and motor composite score. Results. Thirty-two RRMS patients with EDSS range from 1.5 to 6. They showed statistically significant difference between active and control groups in Mini-Best test score. We divided our patients according to EDSS into 3 subgroups: (a) mild: ≤2.5, (b) moderate: 3-5.5, and (c) severe: ≥6. Mild cases showed significant differences in EDSS score, TUG test, Mini-Best test, and dynamic posturography sensory composite scale. The effect size between the different patient subgroups was also measured and showed highly significant improvements in all measured parameters among our mild patients, indicating that this subgroup could be the best responders to cervical repetitive high-frequency magnetic stimulation. Moderate cases showed highly significant improvement in TUG score and Mini-Best test and significant change in EDSS score and the dynamic posturography sensory composite score. Severe cases showed only significant improvements in TUG, Mini-Best test, and sensory composite score. Conclusion. Cervical repetitive magnetic stimulation can help improve balance and functional ambulation and decreases the risk of falls in RRMS patients, especially in the mild, low disability cases.
42
Leinonen, M. T., and L. Koskinen. "Head-Mounted Video Camera System in Testing Multihandicapped Children with Low Vision." Perception 26, no. 1_suppl (August 1997): 233. http://dx.doi.org/10.1068/v970015.
Full textAbstract:
Vision testing with multihandicapped children is more difficult than with normally developed children: the child's ability to concentrate in the test situation is often markedly reduced, or the child is not capable of communicating with the examiner in the normal way owing to deficiencies in motor skills, hearing, or speech. Often observation of the eyes and face is difficult because of bent-down sitting position caused by poor control of head and neck. By recording the test situation on a video tape it is possible to analyse the child's reactions afterwards more accurately. Our video system consists of a miniature video camera attached to the head of the child with a small mirror in front of the camera to provide a picture of the eyes. Simultaneous recording of the eye movements and the fixation target is possible by adjusting the position of the mirror so that it covers the view of the camera only partially. With the aid of a second, conventional video camera, we get an overview picture of the test situation. This picture is combined with the image of the miniature camera on the child's head and recorded on a video tape. With our video system it is possible to see the eye movements even when the child's head is bent-down or the child is moving in the examination room. It also allows the use of full-field stimuli covering the eyes as in examination of the optokinetic nystagmus. The eye - hand coordination can also be monitored on the video tape.
43
Marino, Robert A., Ron Levy, and Douglas P. Munoz. "Linking express saccade occurance to stimulus properties and sensorimotor integration in the superior colliculus." Journal of Neurophysiology 114, no. 2 (August 2015): 879–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.00047.2015.
Full textAbstract:
Express saccades represent the fastest possible eye movements to visual targets with reaction times that approach minimum sensory-motor conduction delays. Previous work in monkeys has identified two specific neural signals in the superior colliculus (SC: a midbrain sensorimotor integration structure involved in gaze control) that are required to execute express saccades: 1) previsual activity consisting of a low-frequency increase in action potentials in sensory-motor neurons immediately before the arrival of a visual response; and 2) a transient visual-sensory response consisting of a high-frequency burst of action potentials in visually responsive neurons resulting from the appearance of a visual target stimulus. To better understand how these two neural signals interact to produce express saccades, we manipulated the arrival time and magnitude of visual responses in the SC by altering target luminance and we examined the corresponding influences on SC activity and express saccade generation. We recorded from saccade neurons with visual-, motor-, and previsual-related activity in the SC of monkeys performing the gap saccade task while target luminance was systematically varied between 0.001 and 42.5 cd/m2 against a black background (∼0.0001 cd/m2). Our results demonstrated that 1) express saccade latencies were linked directly to the arrival time in the SC of visual responses produced by abruptly appearing visual stimuli; 2) express saccades were generated toward both dim and bright targets whenever sufficient previsual activity was present; and 3) target luminance altered the likelihood of producing an express saccade. When an express saccade was generated, visuomotor neurons increased their activity immediately before the arrival of the visual response in the SC and saccade initiation. Furthermore, the visual and motor responses of visuomotor neurons merged into a single burst of action potentials, while the visual response of visual-only neurons was unaffected. A linear combination model was used to test which SC signals best predicted the likelihood of producing an express saccade. In addition to visual response magnitude and previsual activity of saccade neurons, the model identified presaccadic activity (activity occurring during the 30-ms epoch immediately before saccade initiation) as a third important signal for predicting express saccades. We conclude that express saccades can be predicted by visual, previsual, and presaccadic signals recorded from visuomotor neurons in the intermediate layers of the SC.
44
Harvey, Jessica-Lily, Lysia Demetriou, John McGonigle, and Matthew B. Wall. "A short, robust brain activation control task optimised for pharmacological fMRI studies." PeerJ 6 (September 11, 2018): e5540. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5540.
Full textAbstract:
Background Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a popular method for examining pharmacological effects on the brain; however, the BOLD response is dependent on intact neurovascular coupling, and potentially modulated by a number of physiological factors. Pharmacological fMRI is therefore vulnerable to confounding effects of pharmacological probes on general physiology or neurovascular coupling. Controlling for such non-specific effects in pharmacological fMRI studies is therefore an important consideration, and there is an additional need for well-validated fMRI task paradigms that could be used to control for such effects, or for general testing purposes. Methods We have developed two variants of a standardized control task that are short (5 minutes duration) simple (for both the subject and experimenter), widely applicable, and yield a number of readouts in a spatially diverse set of brain networks. The tasks consist of four functionally discrete three-second trial types (plus additional null trials) and contain visual, auditory, motor and cognitive (eye-movements, and working memory tasks in the two task variants) stimuli. Performance of the tasks was assessed in a group of 15 subjects scanned on two separate occasions, with test-retest reliability explicitly assessed using intra-class correlation coefficients. Results Both tasks produced robust patterns of brain activation in the expected brain regions, and region of interest-derived reliability coefficients for the tasks were generally high, with four out of eight task conditions rated as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’, and only one out of eight rated as ‘poor’. Median values in the voxel-wise reliability measures were also >0.7 for all task conditions, and therefore classed as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’. The spatial concordance between the most highly activated voxels and those with the highest reliability coefficients was greater for the sensory (auditory, visual) conditions than the other (motor, cognitive) conditions. Discussion Either of the two task variants would be suitable for use as a control task in future pharmacological fMRI studies or for any other investigation where a short, reliable, basic task paradigm is required. Stimulus code is available online for re-use by the scientific community.
45
Murgia, Mauro, and Alessandra Galmonte. "Editorial: The Role of Sound in Motor Perception and Execution." Open Psychology Journal 8, no. 1 (December 31, 2015): 171–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1874350101508010171.
Full textAbstract:
“Perception and action” is one of the main research fields in which experimental psychologists work together with experts of other disciplines, such as medicine, physiotherapy, engineering, and sport. Traditionally, researchers have mainly focused on visual perception and on its influences on motor processes, while less attention has been dedicated to the role of auditory perception. However, in the last decade, the interest towards the influence of sounds on both action perception and motor execution has increased significantly. On the one hand, researchers have been interested in determining how humans can represent motor actions through the sounds associated with movements, as well as which auditory cues are salient for recognizing and discriminating different features of movement [1-10]. On the other hand, researchers have studied how auditory stimuli affect the production of complex movements in different domains [11-21]. The general aim of this special issue is to provide an overview of the relationship between sounds and movements by addressing theoretical, methodological, and applied issues from a multidisciplinary perspective. ORGANIZATION OF THE VOLUME At the beginning of this special issue we report the contributions that deal with theoretical (Steenson & Rodger; Pizzera & Hohmann) and methodological (Dyer, Stapleton & Rodger) issues regarding auditory perception and action. After providing a theoretical and methodological background, we report those contributions that focus on possible applications of auditory training in the domain of sport and exercise psychology (O, Law & Rymal; Sors, Murgia, Santoro & Agostini), rehabilitation (Murgia, Corona, Pili, Sors, Agostini, Casula, Pau & Guicciardi), and motor learning (Effenberg, Schmitz, Baumann, Rosenhahn & Kroeger). In the first article, Steenson and Rodger highlight that despite the fact that sounds are helpful in executing many dayto- day and context-specific movements and skills in everyday life, there is a surprising lack of exploration of this topic in psychological studies. In fact, the authors review the auditory perception literature and note that auditory perception theories mainly describe the rules governing the processing and representation of sounds in memory, and largely disregard the meaning that sounds have to individuals engaged in movement and the subsequent use of movement sounds in movement priming and execution. Steenson and Rodger’s work can be framed in the context of Gibson’s ecological psychology, as they emphasize the role of sound as a very important affordance that we use to interact with our environment. In the second contribution, Pizzera and Hohmann extensively review studies that address the relevance of the mutual interactions between perception and motor control. Again, these authors highlight the scarcity of research on acoustic information, especially when comparing it with the amount of evidence available in the visual domain. Pizzera and Hohmann offer their perspective on the role of auditory information in controlling and integrating the perception and action cycle. The authors present both behavioral and neurophysiological evidence in support of the importance of auditory information in perception and action, and propose valuable suggestions that future investigators should consider in order to advance the state of knowledge in this domain. The methodological contribution of Dyer, Stapleton and Rodger highlights the feasibility of movement sonification as an effective feedback tool for enhancing motor skill learning and performance, particularly in novices. The authors critically discuss the strengths and weaknesses of movement sonification in the context of providing efficient perceptual feedback information to learners. Dyer, Stapleton and Rodger conclude that a well-defined framework for sonification mapping has yet to be established and that there is still need for controlled trials in motor learning. However, the authors do suggest that new technologies relevant to movement sound recording, mapping, and sonification are available to researchers and can facilitate meaningful and much-needed future research on this promising perceptual feedback method. With regards to the possible applications of audio-based interventions, the fourth article of the issue by O, Law, and Rymal provides an overview of imagery and modeling research in sport psychology and motor learning, documenting evidence supporting the cognitive processing similarities between imagery and modeling. Within this background, the authors critically examine the role of the auditory sense in modeling and imagery, analyzing both theoretical issues and empirical evidence. From a bio-informational theory perspective, O, Law, and Rymal offer several examples of potential applications of the deliberate integration of the auditory sense in movement teaching and instruction, but also offer a strong caveat regarding the severe lack of applied research on the auditory sense focused on sport populations, especially in the domain of imagery. In their conclusions the authors propose detailed recommendations for future research. A second contribution on audio-based interventions in sports is provided by Sors, Murgia, Santoro and Agostini. The authors extensively define the concepts of augmented feedback and modeling, and review studies demonstrating the effectiveness of sounds in improving the execution of simple rhythmic motor tasks. Then, Sors and colleagues describe both a theoretical background and neurophysiological evidence illustrating the mechanisms that are possibly influenced by audio-based interventions. Finally, they provide a complete description of the literature on auditory modeling and auditory augmented feedback in sports, specifying the methodological details of previous studies and proposing future directions for both, application and research. In the sixth article, Murgia, Corona, Pili, Sors, Agostini, Casula, Pau and Guicciardi illustrate the perceptual-motor impairments of patients affected by Parkinsons’ disease and new frontiers in assessment and interventions. They extensively review the empirical evidence concerning the Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) method, describing the mechanisms underpinning its effectiveness. The authors propose possible methods for integrating auditory cues into physical therapy interventions as well as assessments. Last, Murgia and colleagues describe the biomechanical advantages of three-dimensional quantitative gait analysis, and discuss the potential impact of the incorporation of ecological footstep sounds in the modulation of patients’ gait. In the seventh and last contribution of this special issue, Effenberg, Schmitz, Baumann, Rosenhahn and Kroeger present a new method based on sonification called “Sound- Script”, which is aimed to facilitate the acquisition of writing. This method consists of the sonification of handwriting, that is, the conversion of physical parameters (i.e., position of the pen, pressure) into movement sounds, which provides children with auditory information which correlates with visual information of their handwriting performance. The authors report pilot data, showing that the multisensory integration elicited by SoundScript leads to a more adequate reproduction of writing kinematics. Effenberg and colleagues conclude by highlighting the potential of this new method and suggesting future steps for research. In sum, we hope that the papers presented in this special issue constitute a useful reference for movement researchers in the field of auditory perception and action, as well as for practitioners in the domains of sport, rehabilitation, and motor learning.
46
Kalaska, John, Allan Smith, and Yves Lamarre. "Spatial Representations and Sensorimotor Transformations." Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 66, no. 4 (April 1, 1988): 429. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/y88-072.
Full textAbstract:
Each year, the Centre de recherche en sciences neurologiques of the Université de Montréal organizes a symposium on a topic in the neurosciences. For the IXth International Symposium, the theme chosen was "Spatial Representations and Sensorimotor Transformations."Many of the diverse functions performed by the central nervous system have an important spatial component in common. For instance, there are neural mechanisms for the analysis and perception of the three-dimensional structure of visual space, such as the location, form, and movement of objects in the visual environment. There exist processes to determine the spatial location of auditory stimuli. One can also regard the body as an "internal" space for which mechanisms have evolved for the kinesthetic perception of the position and movement of body parts relative to one another, and for the position and orientation of the body within its immediate external environment. Motor control also requires spatial information, since many movements of the eyes, head, and limbs follow specific paths or are aimed at the specific spatial location of an object as signalled by sensory processes.One can argue, therefore, that a major aspect of the functioning of the brain involves the generation of many different spatial representations, and the exchange of information among them. Each of these neural representations provides a spatial coordinate framework whose coordinate axes are based on certain types of information. For instance, movement of the limb toward an object can be described equally well in several different coordinate systems, such as those based on its spatial path, its dynamics (the direction and level of forces, torques, and external loads), or the muscle activity by which it is achieved. A better understanding of the coordinates in which the CNS codes these various types of information will provide a better appreciation of the neural mechanisms generating the spatial representations. It will also provide a clearer understanding of the transformations that must occur to relay information between sensory and motor representations, which permit an animal to interact successfully with its environment.The participants at this Symposium were invited to examine some of these issues as they pertain to the somatic and visual systems.
47
Varlamov, Andrey V., and Natalya V. Yakovleva. "Distortions of Body Perception during Immersion in Computer Virtual Reality Using Full-Body Tracking." RUDN Journal of Psychology and Pedagogics 19, no. 4 (December 31, 2022): 670–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.22363/2313-1683-2022-19-4-670-688.
Full textAbstract:
Person’s immersion in computer virtual reality (VR) is accompanied by numerous distortions in his/her perception due to the replacement of sensory stimuli coming through visual, auditory and partially proprioceptive channels. In this case, the person’s own body becomes an immersion tool, since its movements indirectly affect the movement of the avatar in VR. Performing actions in VR on behalf of the avatar contributes to the appearance of distortions in the perception of one’s own body due to the diffuse effect of actualizing the operational image at the moment of purposeful activity (the subjective body image is modified in accordance with the need to adapt to VR conditions). There are various ways of immersing in VR, taking into account the different degree of involvement of individual parts of the recipient’s real body in controlling a digital character. Thus, the full-body tracking (FBT) technology is becoming widespread, allowing the use of almost all human gross motor skills for projection onto the movements of the avatar. The purpose of the study was to establish the specific features of the distortion of a person’s perception of the size of his/her own body, after its being immersed in computer virtual reality, and the control over the avatar using the FBT technology. The study was conducted in two stages (in 2020 and 2021) in order to compare the intensity and direction of body image distortions of the subjects when they were immersed with and without the FBT technology. The OhShape VR app for mobile immersion without FBT and a modification of the VR Chat app for mobile immersion with FBT were used as experimental exposures. Psychometric data on the subjects’ perception of their own bodies were obtained using the psychometric data on the subjects’ perception of their own bodies were obtained using Moshe Feldenkrais’ methods for physical measurements. According to the results of the study, the use of FBT during immersion in VR leads to distortions in the perception of various body sizes by the subjects, including the trunk and legs, while mobile immersion without the use of FBT only causes distortions in the perception of the dimensions of the upper shoulder girdle. It should be noted that this observation testifies to the connection of distortions with the facts of the involvement of the corresponding parts of the real body of the subjects in the process of controlling the avatar. It is concluded that there are specific distortions in the perception of a person’s own body when being immersed in VR using FBT. Finally, an assumption is made about the possible connection of these distortions with the success of performing intra-environment mobile tasks.
48
Sengupta, Mohini, and Martha W. Bagnall. "Spinal Interneurons: Diversity and Connectivity in Motor Control." Annual Review of Neuroscience 46, no. 1 (February 28, 2023). http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-neuro-083122-025325.
Full textAbstract:
The spinal cord is home to the intrinsic networks for locomotion. An animal in which the spinal cord has been fully severed from the brain can still produce rhythmic, patterned locomotor movements as long as some excitatory drive is provided, such as physical, pharmacological, or electrical stimuli. Yet it remains a challenge to define the underlying circuitry that produces these movements because the spinal cord contains a wide variety of neuron classes whose patterns of interconnectivity are still poorly understood. Computational models of locomotion accordingly rely on untested assumptions about spinal neuron network element identity and connectivity. In this review, we consider the classes of spinal neurons, their interconnectivity, and the significance of their circuit connections along the long axis of the spinal cord. We suggest several lines of analysis to move toward a definitive understanding of the spinal network. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Neuroscience, Volume 46 is July 2023. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
49
Li, Yuhui, Yong Wang, and He Cui. "Posterior parietal cortex predicts upcoming movement in dynamic sensorimotor control." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119, no. 13 (March 21, 2022). http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2118903119.
Full textAbstract:
Significance Most studies in sensorimotor neurophysiology have utilized reactive movements to stationary goals pre-defined by sensory cues, but this approach is fundamentally incapable of determining whether the observed neural activity reflects current sensory stimuli or predicts future movements. In the present study, we recorded single-neuron activity from behaving monkeys engaged in a dynamic, flexible, stimulus-response contingency task that enabled us to distinguish activity co-varying with sensory inflow from that co-varying with motor outflow in the posterior parietal cortex.
50
Ramadan, Rachid, Hartmut Geyer, John Jeka, Gregor Schöner, and Hendrik Reimann. "A neuromuscular model of human locomotion combines spinal reflex circuits with voluntary movements." Scientific Reports 12, no. 1 (May 17, 2022). http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-11102-1.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractExisting models of human walking use low-level reflexes or neural oscillators to generate movement. While appropriate to generate the stable, rhythmic movement patterns of steady-state walking, these models lack the ability to change their movement patterns or spontaneously generate new movements in the specific, goal-directed way characteristic of voluntary movements. Here we present a neuromuscular model of human locomotion that bridges this gap and combines the ability to execute goal directed movements with the generation of stable, rhythmic movement patterns that are required for robust locomotion. The model represents goals for voluntary movements of the swing leg on the task level of swing leg joint kinematics. Smooth movements plans towards the goal configuration are generated on the task level and transformed into descending motor commands that execute the planned movements, using internal models. The movement goals and plans are updated in real time based on sensory feedback and task constraints. On the spinal level, the descending commands during the swing phase are integrated with a generic stretch reflex for each muscle. Stance leg control solely relies on dedicated spinal reflex pathways. Spinal reflexes stimulate Hill-type muscles that actuate a biomechanical model with eight internal joints and six free-body degrees of freedom. The model is able to generate voluntary, goal-directed reaching movements with the swing leg and combine multiple movements in a rhythmic sequence. During walking, the swing leg is moved in a goal-directed manner to a target that is updated in real-time based on sensory feedback to maintain upright balance, while the stance leg is stabilized by low-level reflexes and a behavioral organization switching between swing and stance control for each leg. With this combination of reflex-based stance leg and voluntary, goal-directed control of the swing leg, the model controller generates rhythmic, stable walking patterns in which the swing leg movement can be flexibly updated in real-time to step over or around obstacles.