Effects of Apparent Body Size on Motor Function

 描述（由申请人提供）：已证明使用放大镜改变身体的表观尺寸会影响对身体的感知判断以及对疼痛强度的判断。在正常和脑损伤受试者的初步数据中，我们第一次证明了改变身体的表观大小也会影响运动处理。更具体地说，放大手的图像改善了手指敲击和握力。本研究的主要目的是系统地探讨放大率对脑损伤受试者手指敲击率、握力、伸手抓握和手指个性化任务的影响。次要目的是确定这种效应的机制;为此，将在正常受试者中进行三项涉及经颅磁刺激的实验。拟议的研究具有明确和实质性的临床意义。一个简单的，廉价的和安全的干预措施，提高运动功能的证明将提供一种新的和潜在的有效的治疗干预，可能有助于加强目前的康复实践。这些研究也具有一定的理论意义。对运动处理的放大效应是跨模态整合/调制的一般现象的表现，这对所有感觉运动处理都至关重要。我们的工作将提供有关这种基本和普遍存在的现象背后的神经机制的重要信息。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Changing the apparent size of the body using magnifying lenses has been demonstrated to influence perceptual judgments about the body as well as judgments of pain intensity. In preliminary data from normal and brain lesion subjects we have demonstrated for the first time that altering the apparent size of the body influences motor processing as well. More specifically, magnifying the image of the hand improved both finger tapping and grip strength. The major objective of the proposed study is to systematically explore the effects of magnification on finger tapping rate, grip strength, reach-to-grasp and finger individuation tasks in subjects with brain lesions. A secondary objective is to identify the mechanisms underlying this effect; to that end, three experiments involving Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation will be performed in normal subjects. The proposed investigations have clear and substantial clinical implications. The demonstration that a simple, inexpensive and safe intervention enhances motor function would provide a novel and potentially efficacious therapeutic intervention that may serve to augment current rehabilitation practices. The proposed investigations are also of theoretical significance. Magnification effects on motor processing are a manifestation of the general phenomenon of cross-modal integration/modulation that is crucial for all sensory-motor processing. Our work will provide important information regarding the neural mechanisms underlying this basic and ubiquitous phenomenon.