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Preparedness for landing after a self-initiated fall
Juan M Castellote1, Ana Queralt, Josep Valls-Solé
1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and National School of Occupational Medicine, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain. jmcastel@med.ucm.es
Journal of Neurophysiology
|August 17, 2012
Summary
A startling auditory stimulus (SAS) can speed up voluntary actions but not necessarily landing. This study found SAS did not alter landing foot contact timing after a self-initiated fall, suggesting the motor program is protected from external interference once initiated.
Area of Science:
- Motor control
- Human movement science
- Neuroscience
Background:
- The StartReact effect demonstrates that startling auditory stimuli (SAS) accelerate voluntary actions.
- However, accelerating all motor responses may not be optimal, especially for tasks requiring precise timing, like landing after a fall.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of SAS on the motor program for landing after a self-initiated fall.
- To determine if SAS influences the timing and execution of the landing response.
Main Methods:
- Healthy subjects performed self-initiated falls from varying heights (50 or 80 cm) towards a target.
- SAS was applied either with the visual imperative signal (SAS(IS)) or during the pre-landing phase (SAS(PL)).
- Electromyography (EMG) was used to measure muscle activation and reaction times.
Main Results:
- SAS significantly shortened takeoff latency when presented with the imperative signal (SAS(IS)).
- Crucially, SAS(PL) did not significantly alter foot contact timing compared to control trials.
- No significant changes in EMG burst size were observed across conditions.
Conclusions:
- The landing motor program, initiated after a self-initiated fall, appears to be organized early and protected from external interference.
- Precise timing of muscle activation is critical for the landing program, which is not easily disrupted by late-stage auditory stimuli.
