Abstract
When young, healthy subjects perform rapid point-to-point and reversal movements over a range of distances, the patterns of muscle activation associated with accelerating the limb toward the target are modulated in the same way for both movement tasks. Differences in patterns of muscle activation for these two movement types are not observed until the deceleration phase of the movements. In this study, we first test the hypothesis that healthy, older subjects and subjects with Parkinson’s disease will modulate the pattern of muscle activation in the same way during the acceleration phase of point-to-point and reversal elbow movements. Second, we test the hypothesis that healthy, older subjects and subjects with Parkinson’s disease exhibit the same relationship in muscle activation patterns between the two movement types that have been observed for the young in the deceleration phase of the movements. Subjects performed point-to-point and reversal movements initiated in the direction of flexion over three distances (36, 54 and 72 degrees) “as fast as possible”. Angle, velocity, acceleration and surface EMGs from biceps and triceps were recorded. With respect to the first hypothesis, the EMG, kinetic, and kinematic measures related to the acceleration phase of the movements were modulated in the same way for both movement types in the healthy older subjects. In the Parkinson’s disease group, the kinematic and kinetic measures during the acceleration phase of the movements were the same in both movement types; however, the flexor and extensor EMG activation was smaller during reversal movements than during point-to-point movements. With respect to the second hypothesis, in contrast to that found in young subjects, in healthy older subjects, there was no significant difference between the movement types in the flexor EMG activity immediately after the time of peak velocity. This difference between younger and older subjects may be attributed to the fact that older subjects perform both movement types more slowly than do younger subjects. Although subjects with Parkinson’s disease also move slowly, the flexor EMG shuts off more abruptly and more completely just after the time of peak velocity during reversal movements than during point-to-point movements. These results show that (1) for healthy subjects, when the task requirements are the same for the two movement types (acceleration phase), muscle activation patterns are modulated in the same way, and (2) both age and disease alter the relationship of muscle activation, kinetics and kinematics between point-to-point and reversal movements.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agostino R, Berardelli A, Formica A, Accornero N, Manfredi M (1992) Sequential arm movements in patients with Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and dystonia. Brain 115:1481–1495
Benecke R, Meinck HM, Conrad B (1985) Rapid goal-directed elbow flexion movements: limitations of the speed control system due to neural constraints. Exp Brain Res 59:470–477
Benecke R, Rothwell JC, Dick JPR, Day BL, Marsden CD (1986) Performance of simultaneous movements in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Brain 109:739–757
Benecke R, Rothwell JC, Dick JPR, Day BL, Marsden CD (1987a) Disturbance of sequential movements in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Brain 110:361–379
Benecke R, Rothwell JC, Dick JPR, Day BL, Marsden CD (1987b) Simple and complex movements off and on treatment in patients with Parkinson’s disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 50:296–303
Berardelli A, Rothwell JC, Day BL, Kachi T, Marsden CD (1984) Duration of the first agonist EMG burst in ballistic arm movements. Brain Res 304:183–187
Berardelli A, Hallett M, Rothwell JC, Agostino R, Manfredi M, Thompson PD, Marsden CD (1996) Single-joint rapid arm movements in normal subjects and in patients with motor disorders. Brain 119:661–674
Brown SHC, Cooke JD (1981) Amplitude- and instruction-dependent modulation of movement-related electromyogram activity in humans. J Physiol (Lond) 316:97–107
Brown SH, Cooke JD (1984) Initial agonist burst duration depends on movement amplitude. Exp Brain Res 55:523–527
Buchman AS, Leurgans S, Gottlieb GL, Chen CH, Almeida GL, Corcos DM (2000) Effect of age and gender in the control of elbow flexion movements. J Mot Behav 32:391–399
Cheron G, Godaux E (1986) Self-terminated fast movement of the forearm in man: amplitude dependence of the triple burst pattern. J Biophysique Biomecanique 10:109–117
Corcos DM, Gottlieb GL, Agarwal GC (1989) Organizing principles for single-joint movements: II. A speed-sensitive strategy. J Neurophys 62:358–368
Fahn S, Elton RL, members of the UPDRS Development Committee (1987) Unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale. In: Fahn S, Marsden CD, Calne DB, Goldstein M (eds) Recent developments in Parkinson’s disease, vol 2. MacMillan Health Care Information, New Jersey, pp 153–163
Gottlieb GL (1998) Muscle activation patterns during two types of voluntary single-joint movement. J Neurophysiol 80:472–480
Gottlieb GL, Corcos DM, Agarwal GC (1989) Strategies for the control of voluntary movements with one mechanical degree of freedom. Behav Brain Sci 12:189–210
Gottlieb GL, Corcos DM, Agarwal GC, Latash ML (1990) Organizing principles for single joint movements: III—The speed-insensitive strategy as default. J Neurophysiol 63:625–636
Guiard Y (1993) On Fitts’s and Hooke’s laws: simple harmonic movement in upper-limb cyclical aiming. Acta Psychol 83:139–159
Hallett M, Khoshbin S (1980) A physiological mechanism of bradykinesia. Brain 103:301–314
Hallett M, Shahani BT, Young RR (1977) Analysis of stereotyped voluntary movements at the elbow in patients with Parkinson’s disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 40:1129–1135
Hannaford B, Stark L (1985) Roles of the elements of the triphasic control signal. Exp Neurol 90:619–634
Marsden CD (1989) Slowness of movement in Parkinson’s disease. Mov Disord 4 (Suppl 1):S26–S37
Newell KM (1989) On task and theory specificity. J Mot Behav 21:92–96
Pfann KD, Hoffman DS, Gottlieb GL, Strick PL, Corcos DM (1998) Common principles underlying the control of rapid, single degree-of-freedom movements at different joints. Exp Brain Res 118:35–51
Pfann KD, Buchman AS, Comella CL, Corcos DM (2001) Control of movement distance in Parkinson’s disease. Mov Disord 16:1048–1065
Robichaud JA, Pfann KD, Comella CL, Corcos DM (2002) Effect of medication on EMG patterns in individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Mov Disord 17:950–960
Schmidt RA, Sherwood DE, Walter CB (1988) Rapid movements with reversals in direction. I. The control of movement time. Exp Brain Res 69:344–354
Sherwood DE, Schmidt RA, Walter CB (1988) Rapid movements with reversals in direction. II. Control of movement amplitude and inertial load. Exp Brain Res 69:355–367
Wachholder K, Altenburger H (1926) Beiträge zur Physiologie der willkürlichen Bewegung. X. Mitteilung. Einzelbewegungen. Pflugers Arch 214:642–661
Acknowledgements
This study was supported, in part, by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (RO1-AR 33189), the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke (RO1-NS 28127 and RO1-NS 40902), and by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (H133P000005). We would like to thank Steve Cranstoun for developing our systems for data acquisition and data analysis and Charity Moore for her continued help with our statistical analyses. We would also like to thank Vanessa Portra for help in editing the manuscript and Serge Roy for his support.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pfann, K.D., Robichaud, J.A., Gottlieb, G.L. et al. Muscle activation patterns in point-to-point and reversal movements in healthy, older subjects and in subjects with Parkinson’s disease. Exp Brain Res 157, 67–78 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-003-1821-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-003-1821-x