Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 6, 2026
12:33
Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation
Published on: December 31, 2013
9.4K
In Standing, Corticospinal Excitability Is Proportional to COP Velocity Whereas M1 Excitability Is
Tulika Nandi1,2, Claudine J C Lamoth1, Helco G van Keeken1
1Center for Human Movement Sciences, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
|August 15, 2018
Summary
Narrowing the base of support increases sway and alters neural control during standing. Motor evoked potential (MEP) size increased with difficulty, suggesting corticospinal excitability aids sway control.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Human Motor Control
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Standing stability relies on neural control of body sway.
- Reduced base of support (BOS) challenges postural control.
- Neural adaptations are crucial for maintaining balance with reduced BOS.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of reduced mediolateral (ML) base of support (BOS) on neural control of sway.
- To examine the influence of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-assessed cortical excitability on postural adjustments.
- To determine if individual neural excitability affects responses to increased standing difficulty.
Main Methods:
- Healthy adults stood with progressively narrowed mediolateral (ML) base of support (BOS).
- Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) assessed motor evoked potential (MEP), short interval intracortical inhibition (SICI), intracortical facilitation (ICF), and long interval intracortical inhibition (LICI).
- Correlations between neural measures and center of pressure (COP) velocity were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Increasing standing difficulty led to larger MEPs and reduced SICI (p < 0.05).
- MEP size positively correlated with ML center of pressure (COP) velocity (ρ = 0.50, p = 0.001).
- Cortical excitability measures did not correlate with COP velocity, but ICF trended to decrease (p = 0.07).
Conclusions:
- Corticospinal excitability (MEP size) contributes to mediolateral sway control.
- Cortical facilitation and inhibition play roles in other aspects of sway control.
- Neural excitability during standing results from an interaction between task difficulty and individual neural characteristics.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:20Excitation-Contraction Coupling in Skeletal Muscles
15.2K
Excitation-contraction coupling is a series of events that occur between generating an action potential and initiating a muscle contraction. It occurs at the triad, a structure found in skeletal muscle fibers that comprise a T-tubule and terminal cisternae of the sarcoplasmic reticulum on each side. These triads are visible in longitudinally sectioned muscle fibers. They are typically located at the A-I junction — the junction between the A and I bands of the sarcomere.
When an action...
When an action...
15.2K
01:20Sample Proportion and Population Proportion
6.8K
Collecting samples or responses from an entire population takes significant time and effort, so a researcher collects responses from only a sample of that population. Suppose a study needs to collect information about a specific mobile application. After sample collection, the researcher analyzes the data and discovers that most individuals in the sample use that specific mobile application. The sample proportion measures the number of individuals in a sample who either use or don't use the...
6.8K
00:59COP Coated Vesicles
18.2K
Membrane-enclosed structures called vesicles transport proteins and lipids across the cell. The vesicles derive their cargo from the plasma membrane, Golgi, ER, or endosome. Coated vesicles are spherical, protein-coated carriers with a 50–100 nm diameter that mediate bidirectional transport between the ER and the Golgi. The distribution of proteins between the ER and Golgi complex is dynamic and is maintained by different coated vesicles. Their formation is driven by the assembly of...
18.2K
01:24Testing a Claim about Population Proportion
4.0K
A complete procedure for testing a claim about a population proportion is provided here.
There are two methods of testing a claim about a population proportion: (1) Using the sample proportion from the data where a binomial distribution is approximated to the normal distribution and (2) Using the binomial probabilities calculated from the data.
The first method uses normal distribution as an approximation to the binomial distribution. The requirements are as follows: sample size is large...
There are two methods of testing a claim about a population proportion: (1) Using the sample proportion from the data where a binomial distribution is approximated to the normal distribution and (2) Using the binomial probabilities calculated from the data.
The first method uses normal distribution as an approximation to the binomial distribution. The requirements are as follows: sample size is large...
4.0K
01:17Standing Waves
5.5K
Sometimes waves do not seem to move; rather, they just vibrate in place. Unmoving waves can be seen on the surface of a glass of milk kept in a refrigerator, which is one example of standing waves. Vibrations from the refrigerator motor create waves on the milk that oscillate up and down but do not seem to move across the surface. These waves are formed or created by the superposition of two or more identical moving waves in opposite directions. The waves move through each other, with their...
5.5K
03:07Kinetic Molecular Theory: Molecular Velocities, Temperature, and Kinetic Energy
29.9K
The kinetic molecular theory qualitatively explains the behaviors described by the various gas laws. The postulates of this theory may be applied in a more quantitative fashion to derive these individual laws.
29.9K