Fast changes in direction during human locomotion are executed by impulsive activation of motor modules

This study investigated the modular control of complex locomotor tasks that require fast changes in direction, i.e., cutting manoeuvres. It was hypothesized that such tasks are accomplished by an impulsive (burst-like) activation of a few motor modules, as observed during walking and running. It was further hypothesized that the performance in cutting manoeuvres would be associated to the relative timing of the activation impulses. Twenty-two healthy men performed 90° side-step cutting manoeuvres while electromyography (EMG) activity from 16 muscles of the supporting limb and trunk, kinematics, and ground reaction forces were recorded. Motor modules and their respective temporal activations were extracted from the EMG signals by non-negative matrix factorization. The kinematic analysis provided the velocity of the centre of mass and the external work absorbed during the load acceptance (negative work, external work during absorption (W-Abs)) and propulsion phases (positive work, external work during propulsion (W-Prp)) of the cutting manoeuvres. Five motor modules explained the EMG activity of all muscles and were driven in an impulsive way, with timing related to the initial contact (M2), load acceptance (M3), and propulsion (M4). The variability in timing between impulses across subjects was greater for cutting manoeuvres than for running. The timing difference between M2 and M3 in the cutting manoeuvres was significantly associated to W-Abs (r(2)=0.45) whereas the timing between M3 and M4 was associated to W-Prp (r(2)=0.43). These results suggest that complex locomotor tasks can be achieved by impulsive activation of muscle groups, and that performance is associated to the specific timing of the activation impulses.