Synaptic inputs to motor neurons underlying muscle coactivation for functionally different tasks have different spectral characteristics
Daniele Borzelli, Taian Vieira, Alberto Botter, Marco Gazzoni, Francesco Lacquaniti, Andrea d’Avella
Abstract
The characterization of the pathways underlying force generation or stiffness modulation are still unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that the common input to motor neurons of antagonist muscles shows a high-frequency component when muscles are coactivated to modulate stiffness but not to generate force. Our results provide novel insights on the neural strategies for the recruitment of multiple muscles by identifying specific spectral characteristics of the synaptic inputs underlying functionally different tasks.
Topics & Concepts
CoactivationBicepsNeuroscienceElectromyographyStiffnessBiologyPhysicsAnatomyThermodynamicsMuscle activation and electromyography studiesMotor Control and AdaptationNeuroscience and Neural Engineering