SENSORIMOTOR INTEGRATION IN HUMAN POSTURAL CONTROL

描述：（逐字从应用程序）该项目的长期目标 是要了解本体感受，视觉， 前庭信息有助于人类的姿势稳定性。一个完整 了解姿势控制需要了解平衡是如何 当感觉统合过程受到条件的挑战时， 限制和/或改变可用的感官线索， 动力学这一建议的主要假设是， 这个过程是积极的。为了证明和描述这种活性 调节，研究的重点是姿势反应与 突然限制或恢复方向线索或突然改变的过渡 身体动力学 所提出的实验的动机是最近获得的数据， 演示特征瞬态振荡身体摇摆以下 环境的转变，突然恢复准确的方向线索。 模拟研究表明，观察到的振荡行为是由一个 过度产生矫正腿部肌肉扭矩。迅速恢复 正常的，非振荡的身体摇摆表明，感觉运动调节 存在能够快速地将校正扭矩减小到 适当的水平。初步结果显示， 调节机制存在于双侧前庭功能缺失的受试者中， 功能，但这一机制受到损害，可能使前庭 损失受试者比正常人更容易受到以下不稳定性的影响 环境转变，改变了可用的感官方向线索。 拟议工作有两个具体目标。第一个目标是 表征神经机制的性质，积极调节 人体姿势控制系统，实现人体平衡的最佳动态控制， 不断变化的环境第二个是表征非线性性质， 前庭对姿势控制的贡献，并了解这是如何 非线性行为有助于感觉运动整合过程。的 拟议的研究依赖于基于模型的方法来解释和预测 姿势行为由感觉运动调节机制决定， 感觉统合过程 涉及感觉运动整合的主动调节的行为， 增益控制可能是不稳定性和福尔斯的未识别的来源。更好的 了解这些积极的调节过程可能会导致新的 康复方法和改进的临床平衡功能测试。

DESCRIPTION: (verbatim from the application) The long-term goal of this project is to understand how sensorimotor integration of proprioceptive, visual, and vestibular information contributes to postural stability in humans. A complete understanding of postural control requires knowledge of how balance is maintained when the sensory integration process is challenged by conditions that limit and/or alter the available sensory cues, and that alter body dynamics. The principal hypothesis of this proposal is that this integration process is actively regulated. To demonstrate and characterize this active regulation, the focus of the research is on postural responses associated with transitions which suddenly limit or restore orientation cues or suddenly change body dynamics. The proposed experiments are motivated by recently acquired data that demonstrate characteristic transient oscillatory body sway following environmental transitions which suddenly restore accurate orientation cues. Modeling studies suggest that the observed oscillatory behavior is caused by an over generation of corrective leg muscle torque. The rapid restoration of normal, non-oscillatory body sway suggests that a sensorimotor regulatory mechanism exists that is able to quickly reduce corrective torque to an appropriate level. Additionally, preliminary results indicate that this regulatory mechanism is present in subjects with bilaterally absent vestibular function, but that this mechanism is compromised, possibly making vestibular loss subjects more susceptible than normals to instability following environmental transitions which alter the available sensory orientation cues. There are two specific aims of the proposed work. The first aim is to characterize the properties of neural mechanisms that actively regulate the human postural control system to achieve optimal dynamic control of balance in changing environments. The second is to characterize nonlinear properties of the vestibular contribution to postural control, and to understand how this nonlinear behavior contributes to the sensorimotor integration process. The proposed research relies on a model-based approach to explain and predict postural behavior determined by sensorimotor regulatory mechanisms involved in the sensory integration process. Abnormalities involving the active regulation of sensorimotor integration and gain control may be an unrecognized source of instability and falls. A better understanding of these active regulatory processes may lead to new rehabilitation methods and improved clinical balance function tests.