Collaborative Research: Understanding the Rules for Human Rhythmic Motor Coordination

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Walking for a healthy adult seems easy. However, underlying this apparent simplicity our nervous system is performing a task of astounding complexity. Using sensory information about the body's movement, the nervous system coordinates the activation of dozens of muscles so that we stably and efficiently move through our environment. For example, if our nervous system senses that our foot will strike the ground too soon, it will adjust muscle activations so we do not stumble and fall. In this project, an interdisciplinary team of investigators aims to uncover the rules the nervous system uses to make such adjustments. Using a general computational and theoretical framework taken from engineering (used to understand, for example, the rhythmic control of the angle of attack of rotating helicopter blades), the method depends on gently perturbing a person's senses and body in various ways and observing how the nervous system adjusts muscle activations in response. The investigators will first test their methods on a simpler type of rhythmic movement, repetitive hitting of a virtual ball with a paddle, then extend the findings to coordination during walking. By constructing a general approach to understanding the control of rhythmic movements, including swimming in fish, flying in insects and birds, and walking in people and robots, the investigators may provide a foundation for understanding how control breaks down for people with neurological conditions such as stroke and incomplete spinal cord injury. This has the potential to advance neuromuscular rehabilitation and the design of assistive devices. [Co-funded by CISE and SBE]