Altered Proprioceptive Feedback Influences Movement Kinematics in a Lifting Task

• Published in: 2020 42nd Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society (EMBC) pp. 3232 - 3235
• Main Authors: Pinardi, M., Raiano, L., Formica, D., Di Pino, G.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01.07.2020
• ISSN: 1558-4615
• DOI: 10.1109/EMBC44109.2020.9176252

Movement control process can be considered to take place on at least two different levels: a high, more cognitive level and a low, sensorimotor level. On a high level processing a motor command is planned accordingly to the desired goal and the sensory afference, mainly proprioception, is used to determine the necessary adjustments in order to minimize any discrepancy between predicted and executed action. On a lower level processing, the proprioceptive feedback later employed in high level regulations, is generated by Ia sensory fibers positioned in muscle main proprioceptors: muscle spindles. By entraining the activity of these spindle fibers through 80Hz vibration of triceps distal tendon, we show the intriguing possibility of inducing kinematics adjustments due to negative feedback corrections, during a lifting task.