The role of plantar-surface mechanoreception in dynamic balance

这个正在进行的研究项目将更好地理解与环境接触的感觉信息是如何实现的，并在运动过程中利用到功能平衡反应中。长期目标包括对人类运动中使用足底表面感觉的机制的理解作出实质性贡献，并为直接或间接涉及足底表面感觉的鞋类、地板和助行器的设计提供信息。本提案的短期目标是：1)确定足感状态减少对脚底压力变化的影响，以及在步态紊乱时下肢肌肉活动和关节力矩/运动产生的相关产生；2)确定促进足底表面感觉对足底压力的影响，以及在扰动步态中下肢肌肉活动和关节力矩/运动产生的相关产生；3)利用上述两个目标的数据和先前为现有NSERC发现基金收集的数据，对足底压力的感觉/输入对功能反应的机制进行建模。通过同步测量压力、力、运动和肌电数据，将研究足感丧失对步态扰动时动态平衡的影响，以及足感促进的潜力。使用个体压力测量、肌电图和逆动力学将压力与功能输出（关节力矩/运动）联系起来，将大大提高对中枢神经系统如何利用接触压力的理解。其次，使用足底表面还原/促进方法将允许识别变化，由于足底表面感觉的还原/促进，肌肉活动对扰动产生功能平衡反应（关节力矩/运动）。这些足底压力、肌肉活动和关节动力学的同步测量将为中枢神经系统如何利用足底表面感觉信息提供见解。这些结果将作为潜在干预措施（促进鞋垫、预测建模（目标#3）、鞋类、地板等）的基础，以解决老年人（与年龄相关）和患者群体（与疾病相关）由于足部不敏感而导致的跌倒问题。

This ongoing research program will provide a better understanding of how sensory information about contact with the environment is realized and utilized into functional balance reactions during locomotion. The long term objectives include substantial contributions to the understanding of the mechanisms of plantar-surface sensation use within human movement and also to inform the design of footwear, flooring and walking aids that involve, either directly or indirectly, plantar-surface sensation. The short term objectives of this proposal are 1) to determine the effects of reduced foot sensation states upon plantar pressure changes, the associated generation of lower limb muscle activity and joint moment/movement production during perturbed gait; 2) to determine the effect of facilitating plantar-surface sensation on plantar-pressure, the associated generation of lower limb muscle activity and joint moment/movement production during perturbed gait and 3) to model the mechanism of sensation/input of plantar pressure to functional responses using data from the two aforementioned objectives and data previously collected for the existing NSERC Discovery grant. Using synchronized measurement of pressure, force, motion and electromyographical data will investigate the effects of the loss of foot sensation and the potential for facilitation of foot sensation on dynamic balance during gait perturbations. The use of individual pressure measurement, electromyography and inverse dynamics to associate pressure to functional output (joint moments/movements) will greatly enhance the understanding of how contact pressure is utilized by the central nervous system. Secondly, the use of plantar-surface reduction/facilitation methods will permit identification of changes, due to reduction/facilitation in plantar-surface sensation, in muscular activity that produces functional balance reactions (joint moments/movements) to perturbations. These synchronized measurements of plantar pressure, muscle activity and joint kinetics will provide insight into how the CNS utilizes plantar-surface sensation information. These results will be used as the basis for potential interventions (facilitation insoles, predictive modeling (objective #3), footwear, flooring, etc.) to address the problem of falls in older adults (age-related) and patient populations (disease-related) due to their foot insensitivity.