Using Neck Muscle Afferentation to Control an Ongoing Limb Movement? Individual Differences in the Influence of Brief...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Motor Control
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Neck proprioception provides spatial orientation information essential for goal-directed actions.
• Previous research explored neck proprioception's role in upper-limb movements but lacked distinction between movement planning and online control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the specific contribution of neck proprioceptive information to the online control versus planning phases of upper-limb trajectories.
• To determine if neck proprioception influences distinct sensorimotor processes during reaching movements.

Main Methods:

• Participants performed discrete reaching movements to a virtual target.
• Neck vibration was applied randomly before and/or during movement to perturb proprioceptive input.
• The medio-lateral/directional bias of the reaching finger was measured as the primary outcome.

Main Results:

• Neck vibration induced significant trajectory biases, with some participants showing early leftward shifts and others late rightward shifts.
• Individual differences in the utilization of body-centered versus head-centered reference frames explained these varied bias patterns.
• Sensory cues from neck muscles were demonstrated to impact online arm movement control.

Conclusions:

• Neck proprioceptive input plays a direct role in the online control of goal-directed arm movements.
• Individual differences in spatial reference frame usage significantly modulate the effects of neck proprioception on movement control.
• This study highlights the importance of neck proprioception for real-time motor adjustments in reaching tasks.