Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Journal of Physiology logoLink to The Journal of Physiology
. 1995 Jan 1;482(Pt 1):225–233. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1995.sp020512

Human muscle spindle afferent activity in relation to visual control in precision finger movements.

J Wessberg 1, A B Vallbo 1
PMCID: PMC1157766  PMID: 7730985

Abstract

1. Impulse activities of muscle spindle afferents from the finger extensor muscles were recorded in the radial nerve of human subjects. In addition to single unit activity, surface EMG was recorded as well as finger joint position and angular velocity. 2. All units were studied under two conditions of voluntary finger movements. In the visual condition, the subject tracked ramp and hold sequences at a single metacarpophalangeal joint. In the non-visual condition the subject was asked to produce the same movement while visual control was denied altogether. 3. With sixteen units, detailed statistical analyses failed to reveal significant differences in muscle spindle afferent activity between the visual and the non-visual task. However, with two group Ia units, impulse rate was marginally but significantly higher in the visual task even when differences in average movement velocity, velocity variability and EMG level had been factored out. 4. The findings suggested that access to visual information for movement control did not produce any large-scale differences in spindle afference, although a small effect of an increased and independent gamma-activation emerged in the statistical analysis in 11% of the units.

Full text

PDF
225

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Al-Falahe N. A., Vallbo A. B. Role of the human fusimotor system in a motor adaptation task. J Physiol. 1988 Jul;401:77–95. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1988.sp017152. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Aniss A. M., Diener H. C., Hore J., Burke D., Gandevia S. C. Reflex activation of muscle spindles in human pretibial muscles during standing. J Neurophysiol. 1990 Aug;64(2):671–679. doi: 10.1152/jn.1990.64.2.671. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Aniss A. M., Gandevia S. C., Burke D. Reflex changes in muscle spindle discharge during a voluntary contraction. J Neurophysiol. 1988 Mar;59(3):908–921. doi: 10.1152/jn.1988.59.3.908. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Burg D., Szumski A. J., Struppler A., Velho F. Afferent and efferent activation of human muscle receptors involved in reflex and voluntary contraction. Exp Neurol. 1973 Dec;41(3):754–768. doi: 10.1016/0014-4886(73)90066-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Burke D., McKeon B., Skuse N. F., Westerman R. A. Anticipation and fusimotor activity in preparation for a voluntary contraction. J Physiol. 1980 Sep;306:337–348. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1980.sp013400. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Burke D., McKeon B., Westerman R. A. Induced changes in the thresholds for voluntary activation of human spindle endings. J Physiol. 1980 May;302:171–181. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1980.sp013236. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Edin B. B., Vallbo A. B. Classification of human muscle stretch receptor afferents: a Bayesian approach. J Neurophysiol. 1990 Jun;63(6):1314–1322. doi: 10.1152/jn.1990.63.6.1314. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Edin B. B., Vallbo A. B. Dynamic response of human muscle spindle afferents to stretch. J Neurophysiol. 1990 Jun;63(6):1297–1306. doi: 10.1152/jn.1990.63.6.1297. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Edin B. B., Vallbo A. B. Muscle afferent responses to isometric contractions and relaxations in humans. J Neurophysiol. 1990 Jun;63(6):1307–1313. doi: 10.1152/jn.1990.63.6.1307. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Edin B. B., Vallbo A. B. Stretch sensitization of human muscle spindles. J Physiol. 1988 Jun;400:101–111. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1988.sp017113. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Edin B. B., Vallbo A. B. Twitch contraction for identification of human muscle afferents. Acta Physiol Scand. 1987 Sep;131(1):129–138. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.1987.tb08214.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Emonet-Dénand F., Jami L., Laporte Y. Skeleto-fusimotor axons in the hind-limb muscles of the cat. J Physiol. 1975 Jul;249(1):153–166. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1975.sp011008. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Emonet-Dénand F., Laporte Y. Proportion of muscles spindles supplied by skeletofusimotor axons (beta-axons) in peroneus brevis muscle of the cat. J Neurophysiol. 1975 Nov;38(6):1390–1394. doi: 10.1152/jn.1975.38.6.1390. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Gandevia S. C., Wilson L., Cordo P. J., Burke D. Fusimotor reflexes in relaxed forearm muscles produced by cutaneous afferents from the human hand. J Physiol. 1994 Sep 15;479(Pt 3):499–508. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1994.sp020313. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Hulliger M., Horber F., Medved A., Prochazka A. An experimental simulation method for iterative and interactive reconstruction of unknown (fusimotor) inputs contributing to known (spindle afferent) responses. J Neurosci Methods. 1987 Oct;21(2-4):225–238. doi: 10.1016/0165-0270(87)90118-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Hulliger M., Nordh E., Vallbo A. B. The absence of position response in spindle afferent units from human finger muscles during accurate position holding. J Physiol. 1982 Jan;322:167–179. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1982.sp014030. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Klein R. M., Posner M. I. Attention to visual and kinesthetic components of skills. Brain Res. 1974 May 17;71(2-3):401–411. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(74)90984-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Prochazka A., Hulliger M., Trend P., Llewellyn M., Dürmüller N. Muscle afferent contribution to control of paw shakes in normal cats. J Neurophysiol. 1989 Mar;61(3):550–562. doi: 10.1152/jn.1989.61.3.550. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Prochazka A., Hulliger M., Zangger P., Appenteng K. 'Fusimotor set': new evidence for alpha-independent control of gamma-motoneurones during movement in the awake cat. Brain Res. 1985 Jul 22;339(1):136–140. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(85)90632-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Prochazka A. Sensorimotor gain control: a basic strategy of motor systems? Prog Neurobiol. 1989;33(4):281–307. doi: 10.1016/0301-0082(89)90004-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Ribot E., Roll J. P., Vedel J. P. Efferent discharges recorded from single skeletomotor and fusimotor fibres in man. J Physiol. 1986 Jun;375:251–268. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1986.sp016115. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Rothwell J. C., Gandevia S. C., Burke D. Activation of fusimotor neurones by motor cortical stimulation in human subjects. J Physiol. 1990 Dec;431:743–756. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1990.sp018357. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Rothwell J. C., Traub M. M., Day B. L., Obeso J. A., Thomas P. K., Marsden C. D. Manual motor performance in a deafferented man. Brain. 1982 Sep;105(Pt 3):515–542. doi: 10.1093/brain/105.3.515. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Sanes J. N., Mauritz K. H., Dalakas M. C., Evarts E. V. Motor control in humans with large-fiber sensory neuropathy. Hum Neurobiol. 1985;4(2):101–114. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Smith A. M. The coactivation of antagonist muscles. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 1981 Jul;59(7):733–747. doi: 10.1139/y81-110. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Vallbo A. B., Hagbarth K. E., Torebjörk H. E., Wallin B. G. Somatosensory, proprioceptive, and sympathetic activity in human peripheral nerves. Physiol Rev. 1979 Oct;59(4):919–957. doi: 10.1152/physrev.1979.59.4.919. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Vallbo A. B., Hulliger M. Independence of skeletomotor and fusimotor activity in man? Brain Res. 1981 Oct 26;223(1):176–180. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(81)90819-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Physiology are provided here courtesy of The Physiological Society

RESOURCES