Sensory integration in the perception of movements at the human metacarpophalangeal joint

These experiments were designed to investigate illusions of movements of the fingers produced by combined feedback from muscle spindle receptors and receptors located in different regions of the skin of the hand. Vibration (100 Hz) applied in cyclic bursts (4 s 'on', 4 s 'off') over the tendons of the finger extensors of the right wrist produced illusions of flexion-extension of the fingers. Cutaneous receptors were activated by local skin stretch and electrical stimulation. Illusory movements at the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints were measured from voluntary matching movements made with the left hand. Localised stretch of the dorsal skin over specific MCP joints altered vibration-induced illusions in 8/10 subjects. For the group, this combined stimulation produced movement illusions at MCP joints under, adjacent to, and two joints away from the stretched region of skin that were 176 +/- 33, 122 +/- 9 and 67 +/- 11 % of the size of those from vibration alone, respectively. Innocuous electrical stimulation over the same skin regions, but not at the digit tips, also 'focused' the sensation of movement to the stimulated digit. Stretch of the dorsal skin and compression of the ventral skin around one MCP joint altered the vibration-induced illusions in all subjects. The illusions became more focused, being 295 +/- 57, 116 +/- 18 and 65 +/- 7 % of the corresponding vibration-induced illusions at MCP joints that were under, adjacent to, and two joints away from the stimulated regions of skin, respectively. These results show that feedback from cutaneous and muscle spindle receptors is continuously integrated for the perception of finger movements. The contribution from the skin was not simply a general facilitation of sensations produced by muscle receptors but, when the appropriate regions of skin were stimulated, movement illusions were focused to the joint under the stimulated skin. One role for cutaneous feedback from the hand may be to help identify which finger joint is moving.