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Within-step modulation of leg muscle activity by afferent feedback in human walking

Within-step modulation of leg muscle activity by afferent feedback in human walking
Within-step modulation of leg muscle activity by afferent feedback in human walking
To maintain smooth and efficient gait the motor system must adjust for changes in the ground on a step-to-step basis. In the present study we investigated the role of sensory feedback as 19 able-bodied human subjects walked over a platform that mimicked an uneven supporting surface. Triceps surae muscle activation was assessed during stance as the platform was set to different inclinations (±3 deg, ±2 deg and 0 deg rotation in a parasagittal plane about the ankle). Normalized triceps surae muscle activity was significantly increased when the platform was inclined (2 deg: 0.153 ± 0.051; 3 deg: 0.156 ± 0.053) and significantly decreased when the platform was declined (?3 deg: 0.133 ± 0.048; ?2 deg: 0.132 ± 0.049) compared with level walking (0.141 ± 0.048) for the able-bodied subjects. A similar experiment was performed with a subject who lacked proprioception and touch sensation from the neck down. In contrast with healthy subjects, no muscle activation changes were observed in the deafferented subject. Our results demonstrate that the ability to compensate for small irregularities in the ground surface relies on automatic within-step sensory feedback regulation rather than conscious predictive control.

0022-3751
4643-4648
af Klint, Richard
9dfa77fc-c257-4406-bbbb-b92de0fd817b
Nielsen, Jens Bo
bd35a459-8618-4df6-a0cc-fe6439f2a549
Cole, Jonathan
4424969f-e8c9-4cc2-8264-d0b128f607dd
Sinkjaer, Thomas
155e5daa-2da5-44f6-8ce6-2289233f873c
Grey, Michael J.
65308881-a8a8-4183-9377-702830814d9d
af Klint, Richard
9dfa77fc-c257-4406-bbbb-b92de0fd817b
Nielsen, Jens Bo
bd35a459-8618-4df6-a0cc-fe6439f2a549
Cole, Jonathan
4424969f-e8c9-4cc2-8264-d0b128f607dd
Sinkjaer, Thomas
155e5daa-2da5-44f6-8ce6-2289233f873c
Grey, Michael J.
65308881-a8a8-4183-9377-702830814d9d

af Klint, Richard, Nielsen, Jens Bo, Cole, Jonathan, Sinkjaer, Thomas and Grey, Michael J. (2008) Within-step modulation of leg muscle activity by afferent feedback in human walking. Journal of Physiology, 1 (586), 4643-4648. (doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2008.155002).

Record type: Article

Abstract

To maintain smooth and efficient gait the motor system must adjust for changes in the ground on a step-to-step basis. In the present study we investigated the role of sensory feedback as 19 able-bodied human subjects walked over a platform that mimicked an uneven supporting surface. Triceps surae muscle activation was assessed during stance as the platform was set to different inclinations (±3 deg, ±2 deg and 0 deg rotation in a parasagittal plane about the ankle). Normalized triceps surae muscle activity was significantly increased when the platform was inclined (2 deg: 0.153 ± 0.051; 3 deg: 0.156 ± 0.053) and significantly decreased when the platform was declined (?3 deg: 0.133 ± 0.048; ?2 deg: 0.132 ± 0.049) compared with level walking (0.141 ± 0.048) for the able-bodied subjects. A similar experiment was performed with a subject who lacked proprioception and touch sensation from the neck down. In contrast with healthy subjects, no muscle activation changes were observed in the deafferented subject. Our results demonstrate that the ability to compensate for small irregularities in the ground surface relies on automatic within-step sensory feedback regulation rather than conscious predictive control.

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Published date: 31 July 2008
Organisations: Medicine

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 149107
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/149107
ISSN: 0022-3751
PURE UUID: 11d08912-11e7-4bce-b36f-73d6ad432fec

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Date deposited: 29 Apr 2010 15:31
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 01:04

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Contributors

Author: Richard af Klint
Author: Jens Bo Nielsen
Author: Jonathan Cole
Author: Thomas Sinkjaer
Author: Michael J. Grey

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