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[The effect of controlled afferentation on functional asymmetry in supraspinal disorders in children]
Insights
Healthy children show decreased right calf muscle excitability compared to the left. This difference was absent in children with cerebral palsy but emerged after functional biocontrol muscle training.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Inter-hemispheric asymmetry in motor control is observed in healthy development.
- Cerebral palsy can disrupt typical motor pathway development and function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate motoneuron excitability differences between the left and right gastrocnemius muscles in children.
- To examine the impact of functional biocontrol training on this asymmetry in children with cerebral palsy.
Main Methods:
- Electromyography was used to assess motoneuron excitability of the gastrocnemius muscles.
- Muscle training was conducted using a functional biocontrol technique.
Main Results:
- Healthy children exhibited significantly lower excitability in the right gastrocnemius motoneurons compared to the left.
- Children with cerebral palsy did not show this asymmetry initially.
- Functional biocontrol training led to the emergence of this right-sided excitability decrease in children with cerebral palsy.
Conclusions:
- Functional biocontrol training can modulate spinal activity and correct inter-hemispheric motor asymmetries.
- This suggests potential for targeted rehabilitation strategies in pediatric motor disorders.
Abstract:
A reliable decrease of excitability of the motoneurons controlling the activity of right m. gastrocnemius as compared with the left one, was found in healthy children, where as there was no such difference in children suffering from cerebral paralysis. However, the difference did appear after several sessions of the muscle training with the aid of functional biocontrol technique. Possible mechanisms of the inter-hemisphere asymmetry effect in ontogenesis upon the spinal activity in norm, inherent motor pathology and in the course of the latter's correction, are discussed.