Coordination Of Hand Movements Research Articles

Coordination of movements: identification of age-related dynamics of its development in karate boys 7-11 years old

The purpose of the study is to identify the age-related dynamics of the manifestation of coordination among junior and pre-pubescent karate boys (7-11 years old) training in the karate section at the initial stage of preparation. Materials and methods. The study involved 65 children of younger and prepubertal age. They underwent testing of coordination abilities in order to determine the level of development and identify the features of their manifestation in accordance with age and skill level. The selected sample was divided into five ages 7, 8, 9, 10 11 years old, with 13 children in each group. The children and their parents were aware of all the features of the study and gave their consent to participate in the experiment. The technical level of the children corresponded to the students of the 10th, 9th, 8th grades of Kyu (orange, orange with a blue stripe and blue belt color). To solve the tasks, the following research methods were used: study and analysis of scientific and methodological literature, pedagogical observation, timing of educational tasks, testing of coordination abilities, pedagogical ascertaining experiment, methods of mathematical statistics. Results. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a significant effect of the age factor on the level of indicators of coordination abilities for: differentiation of spatial-dynamic parameters of movements (F = 95.712; p = 0.000); reorganization of motor actions (F = 111.410; p = 0.000); differentiation of spatial-temporal parameters (F = 50.863; p = 0.000); coordination of hand movements (F = 96.764; p = 0.000); maintaining postural stability (F = 38.274; p = 0.000); maintaining vestibular stability (F = 61.291; p = 0.000). Conclusions. Based on the results of studies indicators of various manifestations of coordination, statistically significant age differences are observed between groups of boys aged 7 to 10 years (p < 0.05). At 10-11 years old, there are no significant statistically significant differences in all indicators (p > 0.05), except for dynamic balance (p < 0.05).

Identifying alterations in hand movement coordination from chronic stroke survivors using a wearable high-density EMG sleeve

Objective.Non-invasive, high-density electromyography (HD-EMG) has emerged as a useful tool to collect a range of neurophysiological motor information. Recent studies have demonstrated changes in EMG features that occur after stroke, which correlate with functional ability, highlighting their potential use as biomarkers. However, previous studies have largely explored these EMG features in isolation with individual electrodes to assess gross movements, limiting their potential clinical utility. This study aims to predict hand function of stroke survivors by combining interpretable features extracted from a wearable HD-EMG forearm sleeve.Approach.Here, able-bodied (N= 7) and chronic stroke subjects (N= 7) performed 12 functional hand and wrist movements while HD-EMG was recorded using a wearable sleeve. A variety of HD-EMG features, or views, were decomposed to assess alterations in motor coordination.Main Results.Stroke subjects, on average, had higher co-contraction and reduced muscle coupling when attempting to open their hand and actuate their thumb. Additionally, muscle synergies decomposed in the stroke population were relatively preserved, with a large spatial overlap in composition of matched synergies. Alterations in synergy composition demonstrated reduced coupling between digit extensors and muscles that actuate the thumb, as well as an increase in flexor activity in the stroke group. Average synergy activations during movements revealed differences in coordination, highlighting overactivation of antagonist muscles and compensatory strategies. When combining co-contraction and muscle synergy features, the first principal component was strongly correlated with upper-extremity Fugl Meyer hand sub-score of stroke participants (R2= 0.86). Principal component embeddings of individual features revealed interpretable measures of motor coordination and muscle coupling alterations.Significance.These results demonstrate the feasibility of predicting motor function through features decomposed from a wearable HD-EMG sleeve, which could be leveraged to improve stroke research and clinical care.

Coordination abilities of female cadets in higher education institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine

Significant number of women want to study in the higher education institutions and work in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. The training of female cadets with a high level of development of motor skills is an important task in higher education instituti ons of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
 The level of coordination abilities is an important component in the structure of the overall physical fitness of female cadets. The aim of our work was to study the indicators of coordination abilities of female cadets at the initial stage of training. In the course of our work we studied the coordination readiness of 60 female cadets: the level of static balance, the ability to coordinate hand movements, the ability to general coordinate body movements, the ability to differentiate spatial and temporal parameters of movements, the ability to orientate in space. In the process of work, we used tests that are recommended in scientific and methodical literature.
 We found that female cadets at the beginning of their studies do not have a sufficiently high level of coordination abilities. In tests of a jumping and running nature, in which speed-power abilities are manifested, women have low results. Higher results are observed in tests for assessing the ability to balance, coordination of hand movements and orientation in space. Therefore, paying attention to the coordination training of female cadets is relevant.

Neural coordination of bilateral hand movements: evidence for an involvement of brainstem motor centres.

Bilateral hand movements are assumed to be coordinated by a neural coupling mechanism. Neural coupling is experimentally reflected in complex electromyographic (EMG) responses in the forearm muscles of both sides to unilateral electrical arm nerve stimulation (ES). The aim of this study was to examine a potential involvement of the reticulospinal system in neural coupling by the application of loud acoustic stimuli (LAS) known to activate neurons of this system. LAS, ES and combined LAS/ES were applied to healthy subjects during visually guided bilateral hand flexion-extension movements. Muscle responses to the different stimuli were evaluated by electrophysiological recordings. Unilateral electrical ulnar nerve stimulation resulted in neural coupling responses in the forearm extensors (FE) of both sides. Interestingly, LAS evoked bilateral EMG responses that were similar in their configuration to those induced by ES. The presence of startles was associated with a shift of the onset and enhanced amplitude of LAS-induced coupling-like responses. Upon combined LAS/ES application, ES facilitated ipsilateral startles and coupling-like responses. Modulation of coupling-like responses by startles, the similarity of the responses to ES and LAS, and their interaction following combined stimulation suggests that both responses are mediated by the reticulospinal system. Our findings provide novel indirect evidence that the reticulospinal system is involved in the neural coupling of hand movements. This becomes clinically relevant in subjects with a damaged corticospinal system where a dominant reticulospinal system leads to involuntary limb coupling, referred to as associated movements. KEY POINTS: Automatic coordination of hand movements is assumed to be mediated by a neural coupling mechanism reflected by bilateral reflex responses in forearm muscles to unilateral electrical arm nerve stimulation (ES). Loud acoustic stimuli (LAS) were applied to assess a potential involvement of the reticulospinal system in the neural coupling mechanism. LAS evoked a bilateral reflex response in the forearm extensors that was similar to the neural coupling response to ES, and which could be separated from the acoustic startle response. Combined application of LAS and ES resulted in a facilitation of startle and coupling-like responses ipsilateral to ES, thus indicating an interaction of afferences from both stimuli. These novel findings provide indirect evidence that the reticulospinal system is a key motor structure for the coupling of bilateral hand movements.

The DNA repair enzyme, aprataxin, plays a role in innate immune signaling.

Ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 1 (AOA1) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a gradual loss of coordination of hand movements, speech, and eye movements. AOA1 is caused by an inactivation mutation in the APTX gene. APTX resolves abortive DNA ligation intermediates. APTX deficiency may lead to the accumulation of 5'-AMP termini, especially in the mitochondrial genome. The consequences of APTX deficiency includes impaired mitochondrial function, increased DNA single-strand breaks, elevated reactive oxygen species production, and altered mitochondrial morphology. All of these processes can cause misplacement of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA, which can activate innate immune sensors to elicit an inflammatory response. This study explores the impact of APTX knockout in microglial cells, the immune cells of the brain. RNA-seq analysis revealed significant differences in the transcriptomes of wild-type and APTX knockout cells, especially in response to viral infections and innate immune pathways. Specifically, genes and proteins involved in the cGAS-STING and RIG-I/MAVS pathways were downregulated in APTX knockout cells, which suggests an impaired immune response to cytosolic DNA and RNA. The clinical relevance of these findings was supported by analyzing publicly available RNA-seq data from AOA1 patient cell lines. Comparisons between APTX-deficient patient cells and healthy control cells also revealed altered immune responses and dysregulated DNA- and RNA-sensing pathways in the patient cells. Overall, this study highlights the critical role of APTX in regulating innate immunity, particularly in DNA- and RNA-sensing pathways. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of AOA1 pathology and highlights potential therapeutic targets for this disease.

Distinct representation of ipsilateral hand movements in sensorimotor areas

There is ample evidence that the contralateral sensorimotor areas play an important role in movement generation, with the primary motor cortex and the primary somatosensory cortex showing a detailed spatial organization of the representation of contralateral body parts. Interestingly, there are also indications for a role of the motor cortex in controlling the ipsilateral side of the body. However, the precise function of ipsilateral sensorimotor cortex in unilateral movement control is still unclear. Here, we show hand movement representation in the ipsilateral sensorimotor hand area, in which hand gestures can be distinguished from each other and from contralateral hand gestures. High‐field functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data acquired during the execution of six left‐ and six right‐hand gestures by healthy volunteers showed ipsilateral activation mainly in the anterior section of precentral gyrus and the posterior section of the postcentral gyrus. Despite the lower activation in ipsilateral areas closer to the central sulcus, activity patterns for the 12 hand gestures could be mutually distinguished in these areas. The existence of a unique representation of ipsilateral hand movements in the human sensorimotor cortex favours the notion of transcallosal integrative processes that support optimal coordination of hand movements.

Deficient visuomotor hand coordination in normal pressure hydrocephalus

ObjectiveTo investigate if visuomotor coordination of hand movements is impaired in patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) identified by dedicated testing procedures.MethodsForty-seven patients admitted for diagnostic workup for suspected NPH were studied prospectively with MRI, testing of cognitive and motor functions, lumbar puncture, and visuomotor coordination of hand movements using the PABLOR-device before and after a spinal tap of 40–50 ml CSF. Statistical analyses were carried out with repeated measures ANOVA and non-parametric correlation analyses.ResultsFourteen patients were found to suffer from ideopathic NPH. They were severely impaired in visuomotor control of intermittent arm movements in comparison to patients who were found not to be affected by NPH (n = 18). In the patients with NPH the deficient arm control was improved after the spinal tap in proportion to the improvement of gait. There was no improvement of cognitive and motor functions in the patients not affected by NPH, while the patients with possible NPH (n = 15) showed intermediate deficit and improvement patterns.Interpretation: Our data underline the importance of a multiparametric assessment of NPH and provide evidence for a motor control deficit in idiopathic NPH involving leg and arm movements. It is suggested that this motor control deficit resulted from an affection of the output tracts from the supplementary motor area in the periventricular vicinity.

Managing participation and turn-taking in children’s digital activities: touch in blocking a peer’s hand

This article investigates touch in the social organization of digital classroom activities as small groups of primary school pupils animate a story by using a shared iPad. Such a socio-material setting foregrounds haptic resources for action and requires coordination of hand movements on and around the screen. The groups in our data treat the animation as a product that takes its shape through the individual members operating the device one at a time. Our analysis focuses on how the haptic practice of blocking a peer’s hand is deployed to manage competition for a turn at using the tablet and to resolve the problem of its simultaneous manual operation by two or more participants. The blocks we describe are non-intensive human-to-human touches with varying duration whereby one participant prevents another from accessing the screen by sweeping the latter’s hand aside or grabbing and holding it. We show through a multimodal analysis how blocks accomplish the social action of claiming a turn for the blocker by investigating how they emerge sequentially, how participants operating the tablet anticipate peer interruption with ready-to-block hand movements, and how blocks are complied with or resisted. In our conclusion, we consider to what extent the young children in our data treat blocks as morally problematic and socially controlling actions, and how digital technologies shape educational practices.

SCANDINAVIAN WALKING AS AN EFFECTIVE MEANS PREPARATION OF STUDENTS FOR PARTICIPATION IN SKIING TOURIST HIKING

The article substantiates and highlights the method of preliminary preparation of students for a ski trip using the means of Nordic walking. The results of the study showed that walking by its physiological effect on the body belongs to the effective cyclic aerobic exercises and can be used both to increase motor activity and to correct risk factors for cardiovascular disease, improve respiratory and circulatory function, musculoskeletal apparatus, metabolism. Analysis of the current state of physical culture and health work in higher education institutions indicates the need to use programming in order to purposefully form a comprehensive development of students’ personalities. To determine the effectiveness of the preliminary preparation of students for participation in ski hiking, studies of students of higher education institutions were conducted. The set of data obtained by the observational experiment (anthropometric data, physiological, functional state of the cardiovascular system, level of health and adaptive capacity of the body, physical fitness, level of motivation) shows that the level of development and functioning of all studied parameters corresponds, in the vast majority, below average level of development, which emphasizes the low efficiency or lack of existing programs. The developed program of preliminary preparation of students for participation in ski hiking provided smooth variation of training effects of Nordic walking depending on a stage of the program (cognitive-educational, conditioning, effective), including also game stretching and various mobile and sports games. The most important specific qualities of skiers are highlighted, namely: static and force endurance of back muscles, ability to show the set force tensions, coordination of hand movements. The results of the pedagogical experiment showed the feasibility of using experimental methods of preliminary preparation of students for hiking with the use of Nordic walking, which significantly improved the functional state of the body (cardio-respiratory system, health and adaptive capacity), physical fitness and psychological attitudes in the form of improving motivation for physical activity. It is proved that the preliminary training by means of Nordic walking ensured the development of skiing techniques and accelerated the adaptation to skiing during a tourist ski trip in comparison with the students of the control group. Students of the experimental group spent for walking 93.9 km of the hiking route 22.30 hours, while students of the control group – 28.10 hours. This is less by 5.40 hours, ie savings – one running day. The results of the experiment confirm the effectiveness of the method of preliminary preparation of students for hiking with the use of Nordic walking, which can be recommended to professionals who prepare groups to participate in hiking.

BIOMECHANICAL PRINCIPLES PHYSICAL REHABILITATION OF CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY

Aim. We studied the basic biomechanical principles of physical rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy. Materials and methods. Methods of Motion Tracking and electromyography investigated the biomechanical characteristics of gait in children with cerebral palsy. It is shown that the main differences between dynamic stereotype walk pediatric patients is to delay moving forward center of gravity and the disorganization of the lower limb movements (especially knee) in the vertical plane. Prevailing flexion - leading position of the lower extremities during locomotion cycle associated with limitation of motion in the hip joint, offset by an increase swinging body, weakening activity in the rear shock phase and its sharp increase in the fourth phase. Changes in the structure of the movement of the shoulder girdle and upper extremities can be considered as compensatory. Characteristically excessive involvement in the locomotion of the calf muscles and the rectus muscles of the back, with the central mechanisms gipersinhronizatsii activity of motor units are the primary mechanism for adaptation in a group of children that are capable of self-locomotion. Results. As a result of the research it shows that in motor rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy should include the following elements: exercise to maintain the body balance when performing arm movements, exercises for coordination of hand movements, including motor brushes, exercises to increase mobility in the hip joints and in the back, exercises designed to exercise the calf muscles, the front thigh muscles and the rectus muscles of the back, massage to relieve hyper calf muscles.

The Case for Musical Instrument Training in Cerebral Palsy for Neurorehabilitation.

Recent imaging studies in cerebral palsy (CP) have described several brain structural changes, functional alterations, and neuroplastic processes that take place after brain injury during early development. These changes affect motor pathways as well as sensorimotor networks. Several of these changes correlate with behavioral measures of motor and sensory disability. It is now widely acknowledged that management of sensory deficits is relevant for rehabilitation in CP. Playing a musical instrument demands the coordination of hand movements with integrated auditory, visual, and tactile feedback, in a process that recruits multiple brain regions. These multiple demands during instrument playing, together with the entertaining character of music, have led to the development and investigation of music-supported therapies, especially for rehabilitation with motor disorders resulting from brain damage. We review scientific evidence that supports the use of musical instrument playing for rehabilitation in CP. We propose that active musical instrument playing may be an efficient means for triggering neuroplastic processes necessary for the development of sensorimotor skills in patients with early brain damage. We encourage experimental research on neuroplasticity and on its impact on the physical and personal development of individuals with CP.

Bimanual interference associated with handling different tool transformations.

Research on bimanual coordination of hand movements has identified several loci of bimanual interference, including interference because of programming different movement parameters or selecting different targets for the two hands. This study investigates the extent and origin of interference when participants execute bimanual actions with tools. In the experiments, participants moved two tools, one with each hand, to two directly cued target locations. One type of tool transformed the body movement into a spatially compatible movement of the effective part of the tool, whereas the other transformed it into a spatially incompatible movement. Tool transformations for the two hands were either the same or different. Furthermore, target locations were either in the same or in different spatial directions. Results indicated significantly shorter reaction times (RTs) and less errors when tool transformations were the same for both hands. In addition, movements were initiated more quickly and less error-prone when targets were in the same direction, but this effect was modulated by the congruency of the two lever transformations. Investigations of the time course of the effects revealed that they were not because of early perceptual processing (Experiment 2). Furthermore, the general pattern of results occurred for different grip positions (Experiment 3) and different lever types (Experiment 4), suggesting that it reflects rather general constraints in bimanual coordination of tool-use actions.

Auditory Sensory Support of Complex Voluntary Goal-Directed Bimanual Movements

Correlation analysis identified intrasensory and sensory-effector interactions of the interspike intervals of components of brainstem acoustic evoked potentials with measures of hand movement coordination. A role for the propagation of excitation via the ascending fibers of the rostral part of the pons and the lateral loop in the mechanisms of auditory-motor coordination was established. Gender differences were found in the integration of elements of the sensorimotor system depending on the lateralization of incoming auditory information and the complexity of the motor task performed. In men, the mechanism of auditory-motor coordination was less determined in nature than in women. This probably also determines their higher levelof bimanual coordination. The optimal error-free performance of the motor program in men was based on prognostication, while in women it was by correction of mistakes.

Memory and psychomotor impairment following high-dose interferon treatment in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis were treated with high-dose intravenous infusion of human leukocyte interferon for six days. Neuropsychological examinations were carried out before, during and after the treatment. Marked reversible dysfunction was detected in immediate memory functions, coordination of hand movements, and drawing. Motor perseveration, micrographia, and slowing of behaviour were also observed. Changes appeared four to 12 days after start of treatment, with the peak on days six to eight. Recovery was almost complete by day 15. Intellectual ability, as measured by three WAIS subtests, praxis of hand movements, visuognostic functions, speech, reading, writing, and calculation remained essentially unaffected. The profile of the neuropsychological deficits observed, the absence of defects typical of focal posterior cortical lesions, the simultaneously slowed electroencephalographic activity with frontal accentuation, and the increased central conduction times of brain stem auditory evoked potentials suggest frontobasal involvement.

Coordination of hand movements and saccades: evidence for a common and a separate pathway

We studied the reaction times and initial directions of hand movements and saccades of human subjects who fixated and pointed as quickly as possible at eccentric targets which were presented unexpectedly. The targets were positioned on a horizontal bar which was placed in front of the subject. Different stimulus conditions were used in the experiments. Knowledge of the target position or the presence of an auditory co-stimulus slightly affected the reaction times of saccades in response to visual stimuli. Auditory co-stimuli reduced the reaction times considerably when the targets were presented after a delay of 200 ms after extinction of the central fixation point. Similar reductions were observed in the reaction times of the hand movements. However, these reductions were seen in hand responses to undelayed as well as delayed target presentations. The saccades were always made in the correct direction when the target was presented without delay. When the target was delayed about 50% of the saccades were made in the wrong direction. Even for undelayed targets the hand sometimes made mistakes. The number of mistakes increased to 35% when the target presentation was accompanied by the sound pulse. For delayed targets the proportion of wrong hand movements was about 50%. For such targets saccades and hand movements were practically always made in the same direction. If visual information is available, saccades and hand movements are generated independently of each other. However, if visual information is not present at the appropriate time and the target position has to be guessed, saccades and hand movements are generated on the basis of shared information.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effect of ethanol on neuronal activity in the parietal association cortex of alert monkeys.

The effect of alcohol was studied in alert monkeys on the cellular mechanisms of the posterior parietal association cortex, a region that normally participates in visuo-spatial co-ordination of hand movements. In thirty-two experiments, the effects of intracardiac administration of ethanol were monitored by the intracortical multiple-unit recording technique. Alcohol produced rhythmic groupings of the spontaneous impulse activity; the rhythm was accentuated by closing the eyes. The dominant frequency of this rhythm (3.5 to 1 Hz) correlated inversely with the blood alcohol level. Three groups of response types were studied in Brodmann's area 7. At 8 of 12 recording sites, a close correlation was observed between the monkey's reaching accuracy and the magnitude of integrate multineuronal responses to reaching with the contralateral arm under visual guidance, or to grasping an object. Half of the 10 recording sites which were activated by complex visual stimulation also showed a close correlation with the behavioural action of alcohol. Least sensitive to alcohol were somatosensory responses; only 3 of 10 of such recording sites were influenced by moderate doses of alcohol. Larger doses producing coma increased the proportion of responses blocked by alcohol, whereas no effects were observed in the adjacent primary somatosensory cortex. Our results show that the posterior parietal association cortex is very sensitive to the action of alcohol. Moreover, these findings support the theory that the action of alcohol in various parts of the central nervous system depends on the complexity of synaptic contacts to the location under study.

Bimanual coordination in monkeys

In respect to their agility and muscular coordination, monkeys in which the corpus callosum has been sectioned are hardly distinguishable from normal animals. Nevertheless, certain movement patterns involving the use of both hands might be expected to depend on direct connections between the hemispheres since the main cortical motor centers for each hand lie in opposite hemispheres. In these experiments a behavioral test was used to measure the proficiency in aim and timing of hand movements where the sensory information for direction, distance, and timing of the target came from proprioceptive and kinesthetic cues originating in the other arm. Testing of monkeys with various midline brain lesions showed that section of either the corpus callosum or tectal cross-connections alone produced only a transient loss of skill in the task. If forebrain and midbrain commissures were both severed, however, a long-lasting deficit became apparent when the task was attempted without vision. With visual guidance of hand movement, performance remained essentially normal. With continued postoperative practice over several months the accuracy of spatial coordination of hand movements slowly improved until even when working blind, performance scores were once again normal and further were unaffected by an almost complete midline division of the cerebellum.