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Proprioceptive control of multijoint movement: bimanual circle drawing
S M Verschueren1, S P Swinnen, P J Cordo
1Department of Kinesiology, Catholic University of Leuven, Heverlee (Leuven), Belgium. sabine.verschueren@flok.kuleuven.ac.be
Experimental Brain Research
|August 12, 1999
Summary
Proprioception influences limb movement control. Tendon vibration disrupted spatial accuracy in the vibrated arm but minimally affected the non-vibrated arm, while altering temporal coordination between limbs during bimanual circle drawing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Human Movement Science
Background:
- Proprioception, the sense of limb position and movement, is crucial for central nervous system (CNS) control of motor actions.
- Understanding proprioception's role in coordinating movements involving multiple limbs is essential for advancing motor control theories.
- Previous research has explored proprioception in single-limb movements; this study investigates its impact on bimanual coordination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of proprioception in controlling spatial and temporal aspects of bimanual cyclical limb movements.
- To determine if disrupting proprioceptive feedback via tendon vibration affects the accuracy of circles drawn by dominant and non-dominant arms.
- To assess the influence of proprioceptive disruption on the temporal coupling and coordination between the two arms during simultaneous movement.
Main Methods:
- Normal, blindfolded human subjects performed simultaneous, symmetrical circle drawing with both arms on digitizing tablets.
- Tendon vibration (60-70 Hz) was applied to biceps and/or anterior deltoid muscles of the dominant arm to perturb proprioceptive input.
- Spatial accuracy of drawn circles and temporal interlimb coupling (relative phasing) were analyzed with and without vibration.
Main Results:
- Tendon vibration significantly distorted the spatial accuracy of circles drawn by the vibrated (dominant) arm, consistent with unilateral findings.
- Vibration minimally impacted the spatial accuracy of the non-vibrated (non-dominant) arm during bimanual circle drawing.
- Proprioceptive vibration altered temporal interlimb coupling, increasing the dominant arm's phase lead, and control experiments confirmed this effect.
Conclusions:
- Spatial and temporal control mechanisms in bimanual movements appear to operate independently.
- Spatial control of hand movements is primarily unilateral, relying on limb-specific proprioceptive feedback.
- Temporal coordination between limbs during bimanual tasks is influenced by proprioceptive information from both limbs, potentially via a triggering mechanism.