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Referent control of the orientation of posture and movement in the gravitational field

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Abstract

This study addresses the question of how posture and movement are oriented with respect to the direction of gravity. It is suggested that neural control levels coordinate spatial thresholds at which multiple muscles begin to be activated to specify a referent body orientation (RO) at which muscle activity is minimized. Under the influence of gravity, the body is deflected from the RO to an actual orientation (AO) until the emerging muscle activity and forces begin to balance gravitational forces and maintain body stability. We assumed that (1) during quiet standing on differently tilted surfaces, the same RO and thus AO can be maintained by adjusting activation thresholds of ankle muscles according to the surface tilt angle; (2) intentional forward body leaning results from monotonic ramp-and-hold shifts in the RO; (3) rhythmic oscillation of the RO about the ankle joints during standing results in body swaying. At certain sway phases, the AO and RO may transiently overlap, resulting in minima in the activity of multiple muscles across the body. EMG kinematic patterns of the 3 tasks were recorded and explained based on the RO concept that implies that these patterns emerge due to referent control without being pre-programmed. We also confirmed the predicted occurrence of minima in the activity of multiple muscles at specific body configurations during swaying. Results re-affirm previous rejections of model-based computational theories of motor control. The role of different descending systems in the referent control of posture and movement in the gravitational field is considered.

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Acknowledgements

Study supported by NSERC (AGF). AAM received a doctoral fellowship from Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. MFL holds a Canada Research Chair in Motor Recovery and Rehabilitation. Authors wish to thank Dorothy Barthélemy and Anouk Lamontagne for help in data collection as well as the individuals who volunteered for the study.

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Author notes

  1. Sandeep K. Subramanian

    Present address: Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Professions, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, 3654 Promenade Sir William Osler, Montreal, QC, H3G 1Y5, Canada

    Aditi A. Mullick & Mindy F. Levin

  2. Research Site of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation (CRIR), Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital (JRH), Laval, Canada

    Aditi A. Mullick, Szu-Chen Hsu, Sandeep K. Subramanian, Anatol G. Feldman & Mindy F. Levin

  3. Department of Neuroscience, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada

    Nicolas A. Turpin, Sandeep K. Subramanian & Anatol G. Feldman

  4. Research Site of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation (CRIR), Institut de Réadaptation Gingras-Lindsay de Montréal (IRGLM), Montreal, Canada

    Nicolas A. Turpin & Anatol G. Feldman

  5. Neuroscience Program, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

    Szu-Chen Hsu & Mindy F. Levin

Authors
  1. Aditi A. Mullick
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  2. Nicolas A. Turpin
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  6. Mindy F. Levin
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Contributions

The work was performed at the research centres of the Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital and the Institut de readaptation Gingras-Lindsay de Montreal, sites of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation, Montreal, Quebec. AGF and MFL conceived of the research design, AAM, SCH, SKS and AGF participated in data collection, AAM and NT performed data analysis. AGF, MFL and AAM interpreted the data and drafted the final version of the manuscript. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. All persons designated as authors qualify for authorship, and all those who qualify for authorship are listed.

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Correspondence to Mindy F. Levin.

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Mullick, A.A., Turpin, N.A., Hsu, SC. et al. Referent control of the orientation of posture and movement in the gravitational field. Exp Brain Res 236, 381–398 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-017-5133-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-017-5133-y

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