Differential relation of discharge in primary motor cortex and premotor cortex to movements versus actively maintained postures during a reaching task

The activity of cells in primary motor cortex (MI) and dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) were compared during reaching movements in a reaction-time (RT) task, without prior instructions, which required precise control of limb posture before and after movement. MI neurons typically showed strong, directionally tuned activity prior to and during movement as well as large gradations of tonic activity while holding the limb over different targets. The directionality of their movementand posture-related activity was generally similar. Proximal-arm muscles behaved similarly. This is consistent with a role for MI in the moment-to-moment control of motor output, including both movement and actively maintained postures, and suggests a common functional relation for MI cells to both aspects of motor behavior. In contrast, PMd cells were generally more phasic, frequently emitting only strong bursts of activity confined mainly to the behavioral reaction time before movement onset. PMd tonic activity during different postures was generally weaker than in MI, and showed a much more variable relation with their movement-related directional tuning. These results imply that the major contribution of PMd to this RT task occurred prior to the onset of movement itself, consistent with a role for PMd in the selection and planning of visually guided movements. Furthermore, the nature of the relative contribution of PMd to movement versus actively maintained postures appears to be fundamentally different from that in MI. Finally, there was a continuous gradient of changes in responses across the rostrocaudal extent of the precentral gyrus, with no abrupt transition in response properties between PMd and MI.     

Fingertip contact influences human postural control

Touch and pressure stimulation of the body surface can strongly influence apparent body orientation, as well as the maintenance of upright posture during quiet stance. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between postural sway and contact forces at the fingertip while subjects touched a rigid metal bar. Subjects were tested in the tandem Romberg stance with eyes open or closed under three conditions of fingertip contact: no contact, touch contact (<0.98 N of force), and force contact (as much force as desired). Touch contact was as effective as force contact or sight of the surroundings in reducing postural sway when compared to the no contact, eyes closed condition. Body sway and fingertip forces were essentially in phase with force contact, suggesting that fingertip contact forces are physically counteracting body sway. Time delays between body sway and fingertip forces were much larger with light touch contact, suggesting that the fingertip is providing information that allows anticipatory innervation of musculature to reduce body sway. The results are related to observations on precision grip as well as the somatosensory, proprioceptive, and motor mechanisms involved in the reduction of body sway.     

Adaptive modifications of postural attitude in conditions of weightlessness

Summary Adaptation of static posture was studied before, during, and after a 7-day space flight. Body segment orientations, body stability, and muscle activity underlying the reproduction of several postural attitudes were examined in various visual situations either with the shoes attached to the floor or during free floating. In standing or relaxed subjects whose shoes were attached to the floor, the tonic activity of the ankle flexor was enhanced relative to that in the same posture on earth, whereas the extensor activity disappeared. Errors in attempting to reproduce the normal terrestrial upright posture and a forward-leaning posture were accompanied by major changes in the synergies between neck, hip, knee, and ankle joints. These changes are mainly attributed to cumulative adjustments in response to nonvestibular signals such as tactile, articular, and proprioceptive cues.     

Functionally complex muscles of the cat hindlimb

The biceps femoris (BF) muscle is divided into three neuromuscular compartments defined by the innervation patterns of the main nerve branches (English and Weeks 1987). The goals of this study were i) to determine how different regions of the biceps femoris muscle are activated in the intact cat during a broad range of limb movements evoked by perturbations of stance posture, and ii) to determine the relationship between the anatomical compartments of biceps femoris and the functional units as defined in this task. Cats were trained to stand on a moveable platform with each paw on a triaxial force plate. The animal's stance was perturbed by linear translation of the platform in each of sixteen different directions in the horizontal plane. EMG activity was recorded from eight sites across the width of the left biceps femoris muscle. During quiet stance only the anterior compartment was tonically active, presumably contributing to hip extensor torque in the maintenance of stance. During platform translation, evoked EMG activity was recorded from each electrode pair for a wide range of directions of perturbation; as direction changed progressively, the amplitude of evoked activity from any electrode pair increased to a maximum and then decreased. When the EMG amplitude was plotted in polar coordinates as a function of translation direction, the region of response formed a petal shaped area in the horizontal plane, termed the EMG tuning curve. The compartments of the BF muscle were not activated homogeneously. The tuning curve of the anterior BF compartment was similar to that of other hip extensors, and coincided with the region of postero-lateral force production by the hindlimb against the support. The tuning curve of the middle BF compartment was shifted in a counterclockwise direction from that of the anterior compartment, but overlapped extensively with it; the middle BF tuning curve was similar to that of anterior gracilis. The tuning curve of the posterior biceps compartment was rotated further counterclockwise and overlapped very little with that of the middle BF compartment. The posterior BF was activated in a pattern similar to that of other knee flexors. The functional units of BF activation were not identical with the neuromuscular compartments defined by the main nerve branches. As direction of the perturbation changed, the region of BF that was activated moved progressively across the muscle. This progression of the active region was continuous across BFa and BFm, whereas there was a jump, or discontinuity at the border between BFm and BFp.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

放大镜和显微镜对口腔修复医生体位的人体工程学影响

目的:研究放大镜和显微镜对口腔修复医生贴面牙体预备时体位的影响,从人体工程学角度对放大镜和显微镜的临床应用价值进行评价。方法:从北京大学口腔医院修复科选择20名口腔修复医生进行前瞻性、单盲、自身对照试验。研究过程中不告知受试者研究的试验假设和真实目的,每人依次在常规视野下(空白对照组)、2.5倍头戴式放大镜下(放大镜组)和8倍医用显微镜下(显微镜组)在仿头模内完成右上中切牙开窗型贴面牙体预备,试验过程中拍摄医生的侧面和正面体位照片。贴面牙体预备完成后,由医生本人利用视觉模拟评分法对自身体位进行主观评分,由两名专家利用侧面和正面体位照片按照“改良口腔医生体位评分表”对医生的体位进行专家评分。结果:空白对照组、放大镜组和显微镜组的主观评分分别为4.55±1.96、7.90±1.12、9.00±0.92,三组之间差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);专家评分分别为16.38±1.52、15.15±1.30、13.60±0.88,三组之间差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。三组的专家评分在躯干前后向位置(1.33±0.41、1.03±0.11、1.00±0.00)、头颈前后向位置(2.75±0.38、2.13±0.36、1.23±0.38)、肘关节位置(1.38±0.43、1.40±0.45、1.13±0.22)和肩部高度(1.43±0.41、1.23±0.34、1.13±0.28)这4项评分上的差异有统计学意义(P<0.05),其中,在头颈前后向位置和肘关节位置方面,放大镜组与显微镜组之间的差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论:放大镜和显微镜均能改善口腔修复医生牙体预备时的体位,其中显微镜的效果更好,从人体工程学的角度二者均具有较高的临床应用价值。     

The timing of galvanic vestibular stimulation affects responses to platform translation

We compared the effects of galvanic vestibular stimulation applied at 0, 0.5, 1.5 and 2.5 s prior to a backward platform translation on postural responses. The effect of the galvanic stimulation was largest on the final equilibrium position of the center of pressure (CoP). The largest effects occurred for the 0.5 and 0-s pre-period, when the dynamic CoP pressure changes in response to both the galvanic stimulus and the platform translation coincided. The shift in the final equilibrium position was also larger than the sum of the shifts for the galvanic stimulus and the platform translation alone for the 0.5 and 0-s pre-periods. The initial rate of change of the CoP response to the platform translation was not significantly affected in any condition. Changes in the peak CoP position could be accounted for by local interaction of CoP velocity changes induced by the galvanic and translation responses alone, but the changes in final equilibrium position could only be accounted for by a change in global body orientation. These findings suggest that the contribution of vestibulospinal information is greatest during the dynamic phase of the postural response, and that the vestibular system contributes most to the later components of the postural response, particularly to the final equilibrium position. These findings suggest that a nonlinear interaction between the vestibular signal induced by the galvanic current and the sensory stimuli produced by the platform translation occurs when the two stimuli are presented within 1 s, during the dynamic phase of the postural response to the galvanic stimulus. When presented at greater separations in time, the stimuli appear to be treated as independent events, such that no interaction occurs.     

Postural imbalance: An early sign in HIV-1 infected patients

Summary We have recorded postural performance in 50 HIV-infected patients in different stages of the disease (Walter Reed (WR) stages I–VI) by means of a force measuring platform. The results were compared with 50 age-matched controls. A significant instability was particularly evident when standing on an unstable foot support. In patients standing with eyes closed, postural sway was significantly higher in every patient group (WR I–II:P<0.02, WR III–V:P<0.001, WR VI:P<0.001). Patients in stage WR I–II showed no relevant neurological abnormalities. In agreement with other neurophysiological data in the literature we suggest that postural imbalance could be an early sign of central nervous system penetration of HIV. No correlation with electromyographic or cerebrospinal fluid findings could be found.     

前列腺癌三维适形放疗中体位对靶区和正常组织体积及照射剂量的影响

目的对比研究仰、俯卧体位下前列腺癌三维适形放疗对靶区和周边重要器官体积改变和照射剂量变化。方法临床穿刺细胞学证实的分期为T1~T2N0M0期的前列腺癌8例,行对称六野三维适形放疗。定位前1 h排空膀胱,定位前1.0、0.5 h口服造影剂各400 ml,每例病例同一时间分别行前列腺癌仰、俯卧位CT定位扫描,定位后勾画靶区及盆腔重要器官结构,三维计划设计。分别评估CTV、PTV、直肠、膀胱、股骨头和盆腔小肠体积,CTV、PTV、直肠、膀胱、股骨头、盆腔小肠平均照射剂量,50 Gy膀胱、直肠和30 Gy股骨头受照体积及盆腔小肠最大照射剂量,对比仰、俯卧位各器官结构体积变化以及照射剂量差别。结果无论是仰卧位还是俯卧位,靶区均能得到均匀理想的剂量分布。直肠体积在不同体位下变化较大。仰、俯卧位各正常组织的平均体积分别为:膀胱(306±58)、(325±69)cm3,直肠(59±20)(、144±96)cm3,小肠(94±51)、(75±18)cm3。CTV、PTV、股骨头体积变化不明显。CTV、PTV、膀胱、股骨头、小肠平均照射剂量在不同治疗体位下差别不大。仰、俯卧位直肠平均照射剂量分别为(3364±995)(、2221±1176)cGy。DVH分析显示直肠在俯卧位保护最好,仰、俯卧位50 Gy直肠体积分别占总体积的39.5%±19.7%、19.8%±15.7%。俯、仰卧位小肠最大照射剂量分别为(234±143)(、275±220)cGy。结论前列腺癌俯卧位三维适形放疗使直肠体积明显增大,可因减少直肠照射而起一定保护作用。     

Modelling stabilograms with hidden Markov models

Hidden Markov models are an effective computational method for modelling and interpreting digital signals of biological, as well as other, origin. In the current investigation, we explored whether hidden Markov models can be used to control and represent phenomena in human balance signals recorded from subjects standing on a force platform. Additionally, our aim was to classify healthy controls and patients who suffered from Menière's disease into their own classes. Hidden Markov models were capable of these tasks and of overcoming such disturbances as noise and other unforeseen perturbations in balance signals, which are inherently complex and possibly difficult to visually specify.     

Validation of the relation between the type and amount of seating support provided and Level of Sitting Scale (LSS) scores for children with neuromotor disorders

Objectives: To assess the construct validity of the Level of Sitting Scale (LSS) by examining the relationship between LSS scores and the type and amount of seating supports.

Methods: Secondary analysis of the data for 114 children ≤18 years, with neuromotor disorders who participated in a responsiveness study of the Seated Postural Control Measure.

Results: A significant inverse relationship (Spearman rho?=??0.42, p?<?0.05) was found between LSS scores and amount of seating support provided. Statistically significant differences were also revealed between LSS levels of sitting ability (p?<?0.004) and pelvic, thigh, trunk and head seating components and type of seating system, using Kruskal-Wallis test.

Conclusion: This study provides evidence of construct validity for the LSS in use as a discriminative measure of sitting ability in children with neuromotor disorders. Further validation is justified. Clinically intuitive associations between sitting ability and seating interventions were confirmed.