Influence of Proprioceptive Inputs and Force Feedback Modality on Force Reproduction Performance

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Motor Control
• Sensory Physiology

Background:

• The sense of force is critical for motor control and can be assessed using force reproduction tasks (FRT).
• Understanding the sensory inputs influencing force perception is essential for refining these assessment methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of muscle proprioception during the target-force matching phase of an FRT.
• To examine how different sensory feedback modalities (visual vs. auditory) affect force reproduction error.

Main Methods:

• A force reproduction task (FRT) was employed, involving a target force matching phase with feedback and a reproduction phase without feedback.
• Local tendon vibration (LV) was applied to the first dorsal interosseous muscle during the target phase to probe proprioception (EXP1).
• Force reproduction error (RE) was compared between visual (VISIO) and auditory (AUDIO) feedback during the target phase (EXP2).

Main Results:

• Force reproduction error (RE) was significantly greater with local tendon vibration (LV) compared to no vibration (NoLV) at 5% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), but not at 20% MVC.
• RE was significantly higher with visual feedback (VISIO) than auditory feedback (AUDIO) at 5% MVC, but this difference was not significant at 20% MVC.
• Increased LV frequency further elevated RE, supporting the involvement of muscle proprioception in FRT.

Conclusions:

• Proprioceptive inputs are relevant during the target phase of force reproduction tasks.
• The modality of sensory feedback influences force reproduction error, impacting the assessment of the sense of force.
• These findings underscore the importance of considering sensory contributions when evaluating force perception.