MOTOR ADAPTATION DURING HUMAN LOCOMOTION

拟议研究的总体目标是确定人类运动运动模式是否可以通过训练进行修改，并评估使用肌电控制的人造肌肉辅助运动运动的可行性。我们建议将轻量级的人造气动肌肉附着在健康人类受试者的小腿上，以表征人类神经系统如何适应新的肌肉骨骼力学。人造肌肉将通过小腿和足部的绑带连接到腿部外部，并由受试者肌肉的肌电信号控制。我们将记录肌肉激活模式、关节运动学和关节动力学，以检查对新型肌肉骨骼力学的即时和长期运动适应。这一发现将有助于深入了解人类运动模式的可塑性，并开始开发肌电控制的人造肌肉作为人类运动的辅助装置。

The general objectives of the proposed research are to determine if human locomotion motor patterns can be modified through training and to assess the feasibility of using myoelectrically controlled artificial muscles to assist locomotor movements. We propose to attach lightweight artificial pneumatic muscles to the lower legs of healthy human subjects to characterize how the human nervous system adapts to novel musculoskeletal mechanics. The artificial muscles will be attached to the legs externally via straps on the shank and foot and will be controlled by myoelectrical signals from the subjects' muscles. We will record muscle activation patterns, joint kinematics, and joint kinetics to examine both immediate and long-term motor adaptations to the novel musculoskeletal mechanics. The findings will provide insight into the amount of plasticity within the human locomotion motor pattern and begin to develop myoelectrically controlled artificial muscles as assistance devices for human locomotion.