THE ORGANIZATION OF A SIMPLE SYNERGY

描述（由申请人提供）：在目前的资助期间，我们 已经表明，平衡点假设的框架可以用于 解决协同组织问题。一种新的分析方法， 多元素系统的变异性结构已被开发和测试 实验性的下一个挑战是推广 这些工具和方法，以不同的效应器系统和任务，并链接 它们与人体内的生理过程有关。如果这一目标得以实现 成功地，我们对人类运动功能的理解将达到一个水平， 当直接应用目前的理论和隐喻概念时， 运动障碍和康复的实际问题成为可能。 因此，我们下一步的计划包括：（1）测试新的分析方法， 作为发现性能变量的工具， 在各种运动任务中选择性稳定;（2）研究 与实践协同演进的过程;（3）接近中心 协同组织机制的研究 刺激. 我们计划解决以下具体假设：1）。在协同作用中， 单个元件的可变性被构造成选择性地稳定 功能重要的变量; 2）。学习一个新颖的多元素任务 建立一个协同作用，反映在结构的变化， 元素的状态空间内的可变性和元素对 刺激皮质脊髓束; 3）.将元素组织成 与实践的协同作用导致反映在特定任务中的可塑性变化 指力对经颅磁刺激的反应模式;以及 4）。对扰动的快速校正以协同特定的方式组织， 以便使功能上重要的变量的偏差最小化。他们的 定性模式（肌肉激活的时间）可能在很大程度上独立于 局部关节运动学，而定量特征反映关节运动学 根据EP假设。七个实验与振荡和 离散力的生产，建议测试假设使用的任务， 一只手内的多指协调和一只手之间的多指协调 两只手。我们亦计划监察协同效益指数的变动 组织与实践一个不寻常的多手指协调任务。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): During the current period of funding, we have shown that the framework of the equilibrium-point hypothesis can be used to address issues of synergy organization. A novel method for analysis of the structure of variability of multi-element systems has been developed and tested experimentally. The next challenges are to generalize the applicability of these tools and approaches to different effector systems and tasks and to link them to physiological processes within the human body. If this is accomplished successfully, our understanding of the human motor function will reach a level when direct application of the presently theoretical and metaphorical notions to practical issue of motor disorders and rehabilitation becomes possible. Hence, our next plans include: (1) Testing the new method of analysis of the structure of variability as a tool for discovering performance variables that are selectively stabilized during a variety of motor tasks; (2) Studying the process of synergy evolution with practice; and (3) Approaching the central mechanisms of synergy organization using the method of transcranial magnetic stimulation. We plan to address the following specific hypothesis: 1). Within a synergy, variability of individual elements is structured so as to selectively stabilize functionally important variables; 2). Learning a novel multi-element task leads to the creation of a synergy reflected in changes of the structure of variability within the state space of elements and responses of the elements to stimulation of the corticospinal tract; 3). Organization of elements into synergies with practice leads to plastic changes reflected in task-specific patterns of finger force responses to transcranial magnetic stimulation; and 4). Quick corrections to perturbations are organized in a synergy-specific way, so as to minimize deviations of functionally important variables. Their qualitative pattern (timing of muscle activation) may be largely independent of the local joint kinematics while quantitative features reflect joint kinematics in accordance with the EP-hypothesis. Seven experiments with oscillatory and discrete force production are suggested to test the hypotheses using tasks of multi-finger coordination within a hand and multi-finger coordination between the two hands. We also plan to monitor changes in indices of synergy organization with practice of an unusual multi-finger coordination task.