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Reciprocal and coactivation commands at the level of individual motor units in an extrinsic finger flexor–extensor muscle pair

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Abstract

We explored the synergic organization of motor units in extrinsic finger muscles, flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS), and extensor digitorum communis (EDC). Healthy subjects produced accurate cyclical force by pressing with the middle phalanges of one of the three fingers (Index, Middle, and Ring) and all three together. Two wireless sensor arrays were used to record and identify motor unit action potentials in FDS and EDC. Stable motor unit groups were identified within each muscle and across both muscles. Analysis of motor units combined over the two muscles showed one of the first two motor unit groups with consistently opposite signs of the loading factors for the FDS and EDC motor units, and the other group with consistently same signs of the loading factors for the two muscles. We interpret the two motor unit groups as reflections of the reciprocal and co-activation commands within the theory of control with spatial referent coordinates. Force changes within the cycle were primarily associated with the modulation of the co-activation motor unit group. Analysis of inter-cycle variance within the spaces of motor unit groups defined for FDS and EDC separately showed force-stabilizing synergies across both single-finger and three-finger tasks. In contrast, analysis within the motor unit groups defined across both muscles failed to show force-stabilizing synergies. We interpret these results as a reflection of the trade-off across levels within a hierarchical control system.

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Availability of data and material

The original data are available from the corresponding author at a reasonable request.

Code availability

The original codes in Matlab are available from the corresponding author at a reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We are very much grateful to Paola Contessa and Nicholas Ducey from Delsys, Inc. for the important discussions and insights.

Funding

The Galileo system used in the study was on loan from Delsys, Inc. Shirin Madarshahian was supported for two months in 2019 by a fellowship from Delsys, Inc.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Kinesiology, The Pennsylvania State University, Rec.Hall-267, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Shirin Madarshahian & Mark L. Latash

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  1. Shirin Madarshahian
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  2. Mark L. Latash
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Contributions

SM: design of the study, acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of data, writing the draft. MLL: conception and design of the study, analysis and interpretation of data, writing the draft. Both authors approved the final version of the manuscript, 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; both persons designated as authors qualify for authorship, and all those who qualify for authorship are listed.

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Correspondence to Mark L. Latash.

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All the procedures were approved by the Office for Research Protection of the Pennsylvania State University (protocol #33393) in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki.

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All of the subjects provided their informed consent based on the procedures approved by the Office for Research Protection of Pennsylvania State University.

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Communicated by Francesco Lacquaniti.

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Madarshahian, S., Latash, M.L. Reciprocal and coactivation commands at the level of individual motor units in an extrinsic finger flexor–extensor muscle pair. Exp Brain Res 240, 321–340 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-021-06255-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-021-06255-w

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