Relationship between trunk posture and the limb joint mechanics dining the primate locomotion

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The analysis of the relationship between the limb motion pattern and the trunk posture during horizontal quadrupedal walking of the Japanese macaque was performed. In order to evaluate comprehensive motor pattern, the lengths of whole limbs, which were determined by the excursions of the joint, were analyzed. The angles of the whole trunk in the three dimensional space were calculated and investigated against the limb length. A series of the experiment revealed the relationship of both parameters. Three additional research problems were found during the experiment, First problem concerns to the actual limit of the limb joint excursion. We developed the method to evaluate the range of the joint excursion in cadaver. Then we adopted this method to the knee joint rotation in seven primate species, and we could discuss on the locomotor adaptation of the knee joint structure in primates. Second problem concerns to the proprioceptive attributes of the muscles acting to the limb joints. If the trunk posture was controlled by limb conditions, it is important to gather the information of the joint posture. To achieve this demand, the muscles spindle would play a critical roll. Thus we tested the histological characteristics of the prosimian shoulder joint muscles. The results suggested the distribution of the muscle spindle would well reflect the species-specific mode of locomotion. The third and last problem concerns to the structure of the experimental setting. The horizontal walkway, which was used in traditional experimental setting. supplies the continuous support to the subject. However, the arboreal primates used to utilized the discontinuous branch support. Thus we planed to test the horizontal ladder-like support as the more ecologically appropriate experimental setting. The experimental animals could perform the locomotor behavior on it. Then we collected the data of the horizontal quadrupedal walking of the Japanese macaques, Primates.