Interjoint coupling of position sense reflects sensory contributions of biarticular muscles

Abstract

Perception of limb position and motion combines sensory information from spindles in muscles that span one joint (monoarticulars) and two joints (biarticulars). This anatomical organization should create interactions in estimating limb position. We developed two models, one with only monoarticulars (MO Model) and one with monoarticulars and biarticulars (MB Model), to explore how biarticulars influence estimates of arm position in hand (x,y) and joint (shoulder,elbow) coordinates. In hand coordinates, both models predicted larger medial-lateral than proximal-distal errors, though the MB Model predicted that biarticulars would reduce this bias. In contrast, the two models made significantly different predictions in joint coordinates. The MO Model predicted that errors would be uniformly distributed because estimates of angles at each joint would be independent. In contrast, the MB Model predicted that errors would be coupled between the two joints, resulting in smaller errors for combinations of flexion or extension at both joints and larger errors for combinations of flexion at one joint and extension at the other joint. We also carried out two experiments to examine errors made by human subjects during an arm position matching task in which an robot passively moved one arm to different positions and the subjects moved their other arm to mirror-match each position. Errors in hand coordinates were similar to those predicted by both models. Critically, however, errors in joint coordinates were only similar to those predicted by the MB Model. These results highlight how biarticulars influence perceptual estimates of limb position by helping to minimize medial-lateral errors.

The Impact of OKC Exercises and TRX Exercises on Shoulder Joint Proprioception in Overhead Athletes With Shoulder Impingement Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…In the research conducted by Roy et al resistance and motor control exercises improved shoulder function in people with SIS. Due to the effect on the muscles, especially in active motions, resistance exercises stimulate the muscular proprioception receptor [31]. When muscles are stretched in motorcycles, the muscle spindle stimulation rate becomes more than the position in which muscles are short, and this has a close relationship with accuracy and awareness of joint position.…”

“…CKC exercises work on more than one muscle group and several joints simultaneously. Research has indicated that the CKC exercises cause more co-contractions in the lower limbs and increase the joint's stability compared to the OKC [31] since CKC exercises cause more co-contraction and improve joint stability in the upper limbs [33,34]. Lin et al (2007) argued that CKC exercises increased the activity of muscle spindles [35].…”

Influence of Afferentation from the Contralateral Hand during Imitation of Cello Bowing in Musically Untrained Individuals

“…It is known that biarticular muscles play a significant role in the coordination tasks of this group of movements [9], and impaired proprioception leads to deficits in interjoint coordination [10,11]. Describing the target movements of this group, N.A.…”

The influence of elbow and forearm posture on grip force perception in healthy individuals

“…Information concerning muscle forces and interaction forces stems from the detection of GTOs in the muscle (Crago et al, 1982; Jami, 1992; McCloskey, 1978; Onneweer et al, 2013; Proske & Gandevia, 2012;). GTOs provide a direct means of quantifying tendon strain, hence facilitating the elucidation of alterations in tendon force across different load conditions and enabling calculations of the length of the muscle‐tendon complex (Herter et al, 2021). Previous studies have found a linear correlation between the force produced by a muscle and the discharge rate of GTOs nearby (Crago et al, 1982).…”