Document Detail


Effect of gravity-like torque on goal-directed arm movements in microgravity.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  22298835     Owner:  NLM     Status:  Publisher    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Gravitational force level is well-known to influence arm motor control. Specifically, hyper- or microgravity environments drastically change pointing accuracy and kinematics, particularly during initial exposure. These modifications are thought to partly reflect impairment in arm position sense. Here we investigated whether applying normogravitational constraints at joint level during microgravity episodes of parabolic flights could restore movement accuracy equivalent to that observed on Earth. Subjects with eyes closed performed arm reaching movements towards pre-defined sagittal angular positions in four environment conditions: normogravity, hypergravity, microgravity and microgravity with elastic bands attached to the arm to mimick gravity-like torque at the shoulder joint. We found that subjects respectively overshot and undershot the target orientations in hypergravity and microgravity relative to a normogravity baseline. Strikingly, adding gravity-like torque prior and during movements performed in microgravity allowed subjects to be as accurate as in normogravity. In this former condition, arm movement kinematics, as notably illustrated by the relative time-to-peak velocity, were also unchanged relative to normogravity, whereas significant modifications were found in hyper- and microgravity. Overall, these results suggest that arm motor planning and control are tuned with respect to gravitational information issued from joint torque, which presumably enhances arm position sense and activates internal models optimally adapted to the gravitoinertial environments.
Authors:
Lionel Bringoux; Jean Blouin; Thelma Coyle; Hélene Ruget; Laurence Mouchnino
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Publication Detail:
Type:  JOURNAL ARTICLE     Date:  2012-2-1
Journal Detail:
Title:  Journal of neurophysiology     Volume:  -     ISSN:  1522-1598     ISO Abbreviation:  -     Publication Date:  2012 Feb 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2012-2-2     Completed Date:  -     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0375404     Medline TA:  J Neurophysiol     Country:  -    
Other Details:
Languages:  ENG     Pagination:  -     Citation Subset:  -    
Affiliation:
1Movement Sciences Institute.
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