Distinctive physiological muscle synergy patterns define the Box and Block Task execution as revealed by...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomechanics
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Stroke survivors often exhibit altered upper limb muscle patterns, impacting daily activities.
• The Box and Block test (BBT) assesses manual dexterity but offers limited insight into underlying movement mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore muscle synergies during the BBT in healthy participants.
• To characterize neuromuscular demands during unilateral manual dexterity tasks.

Main Methods:

• Muscle synergies analysis was performed on 12 healthy participants.
• Data was collected for both dominant and non-dominant upper limbs during BBT execution.

Main Results:

• The BBT can be characterized by 1 or 2 muscle synergies.
• The number of synergies did not differ between dominant and non-dominant sides.
• Synergy patterns varied across task phases, with the transfer phase requiring more synergies.

Conclusions:

• Muscle synergy analysis provides a deeper understanding of BBT performance.
• This characterization can help establish normative neuromuscular patterns.
• Findings support future evaluations of motor deficits in stroke patients.