| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mhs{at}cvs.rochester.edu.
The ability to independently move the digits is limited by peripheral as well as central factors. A central limitation to independent finger movements might arise from the inability of the human nervous system to activate motor units (MUs) that exert force on one finger without also activating MUs that exert force on adjacent fingers. Short-term synchronization between MU pairs is thought to be the result of the two motoneurons receiving common input from last-order neuronal projections. The human flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) muscle contains four subdivisions, one for each of the fingers. We hypothesized that the distribution of MU synchrony within and between subdivisions of FDP might parallel the ability to selectively activate different functional subdivisions within FDP, and the ability to flex one digit independently of another. We found that the degree of MU synchrony indeed was not uniform among the different functional subdivisions of FDP; MUs acting on ulnar digits (d5, d4) were more synchronized than MUs acting on radial digits (d2, d3). Furthermore, synchrony was observed between MU pairs where each unit acted on a different digit, and was highest when both units of a pair acted on the least independent digits (d4, d5). This indicates that the central nervous system (CNS) does not exert completely independent control over the different functional subdivisions of FDP. The strength of synchrony appears related to the inability to produce completely independent forces or movements with the digits. These observations reflect widespread divergence of last-order inputs within the FDP motoneuron pool, and we suggest that the organization of the CNS drive to this muscle contributes to the limited ability of humans to flex one digit in isolation from other digits.
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  S. A. Winges, K. W. Kornatz, and M. Santello Common Input to Motor Units of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Hand Muscles During Two-Digit Object Hold J Neurophysiol, March 1, 2008; 99(3): 1119 - 1126. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 W. S. Yu, S. L. Kilbreath, R. C. Fitzpatrick, and S. C. Gandevia Thumb and finger forces produced by motor units in the long flexor of the human thumb J. Physiol., September 15, 2007; 583(3): 1145 - 1154. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
T. L. McIsaac and A. J. Fuglevand Motor-Unit Synchrony Within and Across Compartments of the Human Flexor Digitorum Superficialis J Neurophysiol, January 1, 2007; 97(1): 550 - 556. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. A. Winges, J. A. Johnston, and M. Santello Muscle-Pair Specific Distribution and Grip-Type Modulation of Neural Common Input to Extrinsic Digit Flexors J Neurophysiol, September 1, 2006; 96(3): 1258 - 1266. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. A. Johnston, S. A. Winges, and M. Santello Periodic Modulation of Motor-Unit Activity in Extrinsic Hand Muscles During Multidigit Grasping J Neurophysiol, July 1, 2005; 94(1): 206 - 218. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 G. B. Hockensmith, S. Y. Lowell, and A. J. Fuglevand Common Input across Motor Nuclei Mediating Precision Grip in Humans J. Neurosci., May 4, 2005; 25(18): 4560 - 4564. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. A. Winges and M. Santello From Single Motor Unit Activity to Multiple Grip Forces: Mini-review of Multi-digit Grasping. Integr. Comp. Biol., January 1, 2005; 45: 679 - 682. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. A. Winges and M. Santello Common Input to Motor Units of Digit Flexors During Multi-Digit Grasping J Neurophysiol, December 1, 2004; 92(6): 3210 - 3220. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH |
| Visit Other APS Journals Online |
