Can somatosensory enhancement amplify rhythmic human arm and leg movement?

体感增强能否放大人体手臂和腿部的节奏运动？

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-03978
• 负责人: Zehr, EPaul
• 金额: $ 4.01万
• 依托单位: University of Victoria
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=737315
• 关键词: somatosensory; enhancement; amplify; rhythmic; human

My prior work reveals strong neuronal linkages between arms and legs that are sculpted and adapted to motor behaviour by somatosensory feedback. The current proposal tests the efficacy of pathways formerly used to assess interlimb coordination to now amplify that coordination to harness performance in a targeted way. Now, I am testing the efficacy of enhanced sensory stimulation applied coincidentally with rhythmic motor behavior. Using fatigue and spinal cord reflex modulation as proxy performance criteria, this proposal will assess the potential for enhanced cutaneous input from the hands or feet to amplify neural excitability and motor performance during rhythmic arm and leg cycling. Non-local neuromuscular fatigue, that is typically thought of in association with athletic and exercise performance as used within this proposal, is defined as alteration in neurophysiological and/or performance outcomes of a remote or contralateral non-exercised limb. This type of fatigue is prominent in many forms of exercise involving rhythmic activation of the arms and legs. Thus, fatigue is operationally defined here as a persistent change in interneuronal excitability produced by a bout of rhythmic motor activity that produces short term (e.g. minutes after cessation of movement) changes in reflex amplitudes. Projects proposed in this grant constellate within 2 themes related to the timing of sensory enhancement: A) during; or, B) prior to rhythmic activity. These projects assess the potential for enhanced somatosensory stimulation to: 1) prolong motor output (e.g. mitigate against fatigue, Theme A) during arm or leg cycling (Projects 1-3); 2) prime for enhanced performance (Theme B, Projects 4-7); 3) be amplified by the number of active limbs (arm, leg, and arm Project 8). Enhanced cutaneous input will be delivered to the hands, feet, and hands and feet during rhythmic arm, leg, and combined arm and leg cycling across projects of cycling and sensation.  My long-term objective is to establish the extent to which enhanced somatosensory feedback interacting with CPG mechanisms amplifies motor output during human locomotion. To achieve my long-term objective, a detailed investigation of the extent to which the human somatosensory system may be artificially enhanced by sensory traffic is a requisite next step. Hence the objective for this research is to systematically characterize efficacy of amplifying CPG elements regulating arm and leg movement during motor behaviour using enhanced sensory stimulation via electrical activation of cutaneous nerves innervating the skin of the hands and feet. The working hypothesis for this next phase of my research program is that the application of enhanced sensory input will amplify excitability between the arms and legs during rhythmic activity of both arms and legs.

我之前的工作揭示了手臂和腿之间的强烈神经元联系，这些联系是通过躯体感觉反馈塑造和适应运动行为的。目前的建议测试以前用于评估肢体间协调的路径的有效性，现在放大这种协调，以有针对性的方式利用性能。现在，我正在测试与节律运动行为同时应用的增强感觉刺激的效果。使用疲劳和脊髓反射调制作为代理性能标准，该提案将评估在有节奏的手臂和腿部循环期间增强手部或脚部皮肤输入以放大神经兴奋性和运动性能的潜力。非局部神经肌肉疲劳通常被认为与本提案中使用的运动和锻炼表现相关，被定义为远端或对侧未锻炼肢体的神经生理和/或表现结果的改变。这种类型的疲劳在许多形式的运动中都很突出，包括手臂和腿部的节律性激活。因此，疲劳在这里被操作性地定义为由一轮有节奏的运动活动产生的神经元间兴奋性的持续变化，该运动活动产生反射幅度的短期（例如，运动停止后的几分钟）变化。本基金会提出的项目包括2个主题，与感觉增强的时间有关：A）在节奏活动期间;或B）在节奏活动之前。这些项目评估了增强体感刺激的潜力，以：1）在手臂或腿部骑行期间延长运动输出（例如减轻疲劳，主题A）（项目1-3）; 2）为增强性能做好准备（主题B，项目4-7）; 3）通过活动肢体的数量进行放大（手臂、腿和手臂项目8）。增强的皮肤输入将被传递到手，脚，手和脚在有节奏的手臂，腿，并结合手臂和腿骑自行车在项目的自行车和sensation. My长期目标是建立在何种程度上增强体感反馈与CPG机制相互作用放大运动输出在人类运动。为了实现我的长期目标，详细调查人类躯体感觉系统在多大程度上可以通过感觉交通被人工增强是下一步的必要步骤。因此，本研究的目的是系统地表征放大CPG元件调节手臂和腿部运动的功效，在运动行为期间使用增强的感觉刺激，通过电激活支配手部和足部皮肤的皮肤神经。我的研究计划下一阶段的工作假设是，在手臂和腿的节律活动期间，应用增强的感觉输入将放大手臂和腿之间的兴奋性。