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Differences in the movement phase condition and sensory inputs on temporal synchronization and continuation during
Atsuki Numata1, Yasuo Terao2, Kenichi Sugawara3
1Physical Therapy Course, Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medical Science and Welfare, Tohoku Bunka Gakuen University, Sendai, Japan.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
|February 14, 2025
Summary
Bilateral lower limb rhythmic movements are more stable in an antiphase condition, especially with tactile feedback. This finding is crucial for understanding motor coordination in human locomotion like walking.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Sensorimotor synchronization (SMS) tasks assess motor coordination by having individuals synchronize limb movements with auditory cues.
- Bilateral lower limb control is vital for locomotion, and SMS tasks provide a metric for evaluating this coordination.
- Auditory and tactile sensory information are known to enhance the accuracy of sensorimotor synchronization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how different movement phases (in-phase vs. antiphase) and sensory feedback affect the tapping variability in bilateral lower limb rhythmic motor control.
- To explore the role of tactile feedback in maintaining rhythmic lower limb movements, particularly in the absence of auditory cues.
Main Methods:
- Thirty-three healthy volunteers performed synchronization-continuation (SC-tap), air-tapping (A-tap), and combined (SCA-tap) tasks involving unilateral or bilateral foot tapping.
- Tapping occurred in synchrony with auditory tones at various intervals (500-4800 ms) and in either in-phase (simultaneous) or antiphase (alternating) bilateral conditions.
- Tapping variability was assessed using the coefficient of variation (CV) of the inter-tap interval (ITI), with and without tactile feedback.
Main Results:
- The antiphase condition demonstrated significantly lower ITI variability (CV) compared to unilateral and in-phase conditions in SC-tap and SCA-tap tasks.
- Lower CV for antiphase movements was specifically observed in the SC-tap task when considering the timing of both limbs.
- Tactile feedback significantly improved the stability of rhythmic lower limb movements in the antiphase condition during unpaced movements.
Conclusions:
- The antiphase condition offers superior temporal stability for repetitive lower limb movements.
- Tactile feedback plays a critical role in enhancing the stability of rhythmic lower limb movements, especially in antiphase coordination.
- These findings have implications for understanding and improving motor coordination relevant to human locomotion.
