A sensorimotor enhanced neuromusculoskeletal model for simulating postural control of upright standing

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Neuroscience
• Robotics

Background:

• Upright standing is a complex human control process.
• Postural control models offer insights into balance mechanisms.
• Physiologically plausible models aid in understanding motion disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce a neuromusculoskeletal postural control model.
• Simulate healthy reactive balance behavior.
• Provide a basis for studying pathophysiological motion.

Main Methods:

• Developed a sagittal plane neuromusculoskeletal model with six degrees of freedom and nine muscles per leg.
• Incorporated physiologically plausible neural delays and sensor feedback (somatosensory, vestibular, visual).
• Utilized forward dynamic simulations and a single shooting approach with optimized control parameters to minimize muscle effort.

Main Results:

• The model successfully generated healthy reactive balance during quiet and perturbed standing.
• Observed joint angles and ranges of motion were within physiologically plausible ranges.
• Model performance was comparable to experimental data.

Conclusions:

• The developed neuromusculoskeletal model effectively simulates upright standing balance.
• The model provides a validated starting point for investigating pathophysiological postural control.
• This work advances understanding of human balance control mechanisms.