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Estimation of the effects of hand growth on muscle activation patterns: A musculoskeletal modeling study
Miranda C Ludovice1, Katherine R Saul2, Derek G Kamper1
1The Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States.
Insights
As children grow, changes in hand size and muscle strength impact how their brains control finger movements. This suggests children may need to adapt their motor control strategies to maintain hand function during development.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Childhood involves rapid development of the nervous and musculoskeletal systems.
- Understanding how growth affects motor control is crucial for pediatric development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of growth-related changes in skeletal size and muscle strength on the neural control of finger force generation in children.
- To model pediatric hand development and its effect on motor control.
Main Methods:
- Created 10 distinct pediatric hand models (ages 6-10, male/female) using OpenSim and pediatric anthropometric data.
- Utilized static optimization to estimate muscle activations for maximal index finger force in two postures.
- Performed multiple regression analysis to assess the effects of age and sex on muscle activation patterns.
Main Results:
- For Posture 1, age and sex significantly affected muscle activation in most muscles (p < 0.035).
- For Posture 2, only extensor digitorum communis activation showed a significant relationship with age (p = 0.010).
- Simulations showed that altering activation patterns between youngest and oldest models changed predicted finger force and direction.
Conclusions:
- Growth-related changes in hand size and morphology necessitate adjustments in muscle activation patterns for maintaining hand function.
- Children likely need to adapt or relearn motor control strategies throughout development to accommodate physical changes.
Abstract:
Throughout childhood growth and development, both the nervous and the musculoskeletal systems undergo rapid change. The goal of this study was to examine the impact of growth-related changes in skeletal size and muscle strength on the neural control of finger force generation. By modifying an existing OpenSim hand model in accordance with pediatric anthropometric data, we created 10 distinct models representing males and females at each year of development from 6 to 10 years old. We then used the static optimization tool to estimate the requisite muscle activations to create a maximal palmar force with the index finger in two different postures (metacarpophalangeal, proximal interphalangeal, distal interphalangeal) - Posture 1: (0°, 30°, 0°) and Posture 2: (0°, 60°, 30°). For Posture 1, multiple regression analysis revealed a significant effect of both age and sex on activation for all muscles (p < 0.035) with exception of the flexor digitorum profundus. For Posture 2, only the extensor digitorum communis activation had a significant relationship with age (p = 0.010), while no other muscles showed a significant relationship with age, sex, or the age-sex interaction activation (p > 0.054). Exchanging the activation patterns between the youngest and oldest models altered both the predicted index finger force and direction. Therefore, our simulations suggest that the changes in hand size and morphology associated with growth may necessitate changes in muscle activation patterns to be able to continue to perform a given hand function. Children may need to substantially adjust or even relearn motor control strategies throughout childhood.
