Biomechanics As a Window into the Neural Control of Movement

Overview

Journal J Hum Kinet

Publisher Termedia

Date 2017 Feb 3

PMID 28149390

Citations 6

Authors

Mark L Latash

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Biomechanics and motor control are discussed as parts of a more general science, physics of living systems. Major problems of biomechanics deal with exact definition of variables and their experimental measurement. In motor control, major problems are associated with formulating currently unknown laws of nature specific for movements by biological objects. Mechanics-based hypotheses in motor control, such as those originating from notions of a generalized motor program and internal models, are non-physical. The famous problem of motor redundancy is wrongly formulated; it has to be replaced by the principle of abundance, which does not pose computational problems for the central nervous system. Biomechanical methods play a central role in motor control studies. This is illustrated with studies with the reconstruction of hypothetical control variables and those exploring motor synergies within the framework of the uncontrolled manifold hypothesis. Biomechanics and motor control have to merge into physics of living systems, and the earlier this process starts the better.

Citing Articles

Changes in hamstrings' active stiffness during fatigue tasks are modulated by contraction duration rather than intensity.

Martinez-Serrano A, Radaelli R, Freitas T, Alcaraz P, Freitas S Sci Rep. 2024; 14(1):24873.

PMID: 39438613 PMC: 11496551. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-75032-w.

Load Magnitude and Locomotion Pattern Alter Locomotor System Function in Healthy Young Adult Women.

Krajewski K, Dever D, Johnson C, Mi Q, Simpson R, Graham S Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2020; 8:582219.

PMID: 33042981 PMC: 7525027. DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.582219.

Effect of Parkinson's disease and two therapeutic interventions on muscle activity during walking: a systematic review.

Islam A, Alcock L, Nazarpour K, Rochester L, Pantall A NPJ Parkinsons Dis. 2020; 6:22.

PMID: 32964107 PMC: 7481232. DOI: 10.1038/s41531-020-00119-w.

Forward to Bernstein: Movement Complexity as a New Frontier.

Biryukova E, Sirotkina I Front Neurosci. 2020; 14:553.

PMID: 32581691 PMC: 7283918. DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00553.

Flexibility in joint coordination remains unaffected by force and balance demands in young and old adults during simple sit-to-stand tasks.

Greve C, Hortobagyi T, Bongers R Eur J Appl Physiol. 2018; 119(2):419-428.

PMID: 30474739 PMC: 6373350. DOI: 10.1007/s00421-018-4035-4.

References

Dewald J, Pope P, Given J, Buchanan T, Rymer W . Abnormal muscle coactivation patterns during isometric torque generation at the elbow and shoulder in hemiparetic subjects. Brain. 1995; 118 ( Pt 2):495-510. DOI: 10.1093/brain/118.2.495. View

Cannon S, Zahalak G . The mechanical behavior of active human skeletal muscle in small oscillations. J Biomech. 1982; 15(2):111-21. DOI: 10.1016/0021-9290(82)90043-4. View

Hogan N . An organizing principle for a class of voluntary movements. J Neurosci. 1984; 4(11):2745-54. PMC: 6564718. View

Kawato M . Internal models for motor control and trajectory planning. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 1999; 9(6):718-27. DOI: 10.1016/s0959-4388(99)00028-8. View

Flash T, Hogan N . The coordination of arm movements: an experimentally confirmed mathematical model. J Neurosci. 1985; 5(7):1688-703. PMC: 6565116. View

Wolpert D, Miall R, Kawato M . Internal models in the cerebellum. Trends Cogn Sci. 2011; 2(9):338-47. DOI: 10.1016/s1364-6613(98)01221-2. View

Mattos D, Latash M, Park E, Kuhl J, Scholz J . Unpredictable elbow joint perturbation during reaching results in multijoint motor equivalence. J Neurophysiol. 2011; 106(3):1424-36. PMC: 3174825. DOI: 10.1152/jn.00163.2011. View

Latash M, Gottlieb G . Virtual trajectories of single-joint movements performed under two basic strategies. Neuroscience. 1992; 47(2):357-65. DOI: 10.1016/0306-4522(92)90252-w. View

Feldman A . Superposition of motor programs--I. Rhythmic forearm movements in man. Neuroscience. 1980; 5(1):81-90. DOI: 10.1016/0306-4522(80)90073-1. View

10.

Sainburg R, Ghilardi M, Poizner H, Ghez C . Control of limb dynamics in normal subjects and patients without proprioception. J Neurophysiol. 1995; 73(2):820-35. PMC: 11102602. DOI: 10.1152/jn.1995.73.2.820. View

11.

Latash M . Motor synergies and the equilibrium-point hypothesis. Motor Control. 2010; 14(3):294-322. PMC: 2921643. DOI: 10.1123/mcj.14.3.294. View

12.

Lacquaniti F, Carrozzo M, Borghese N . Time-varying mechanical behavior of multijointed arm in man. J Neurophysiol. 1993; 69(5):1443-64. DOI: 10.1152/jn.1993.69.5.1443. View

13.

Bennett D, Hollerbach J, Xu Y, Hunter I . Time-varying stiffness of human elbow joint during cyclic voluntary movement. Exp Brain Res. 1992; 88(2):433-42. DOI: 10.1007/BF02259118. View

14.

Gottlieb G, Song Q, Hong D, Almeida G, Corcos D . Coordinating movement at two joints: a principle of linear covariance. J Neurophysiol. 1996; 75(4):1760-4. DOI: 10.1152/jn.1996.75.4.1760. View

15.

Ostry D, Feldman A . A critical evaluation of the force control hypothesis in motor control. Exp Brain Res. 2003; 153(3):275-88. DOI: 10.1007/s00221-003-1624-0. View

16.

Scholz J, Schoner G . The uncontrolled manifold concept: identifying control variables for a functional task. Exp Brain Res. 1999; 126(3):289-306. DOI: 10.1007/s002210050738. View

17.

Olafsdottir H, Yoshida N, Zatsiorsky V, Latash M . Anticipatory covariation of finger forces during self-paced and reaction time force production. Neurosci Lett. 2005; 381(1-2):92-6. PMC: 2827154. DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2005.02.003. View

18.

Prilutsky B, Zatsiorsky V . Optimization-based models of muscle coordination. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2002; 30(1):32-8. PMC: 2821033. DOI: 10.1097/00003677-200201000-00007. View

19.

Latash M . The bliss (not the problem) of motor abundance (not redundancy). Exp Brain Res. 2012; 217(1):1-5. PMC: 3532046. DOI: 10.1007/s00221-012-3000-4. View

20.

Alexander R . Energetics and optimization of human walking and running: the 2000 Raymond Pearl memorial lecture. Am J Hum Biol. 2002; 14(5):641-8. DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.10067. View