While individual muscle function is known, the sensory and motor value of muscles within the whole-body sensorimotor network is complicated. Specifically, the relationship between neck muscle action and distal muscle synergies is unknown. This work demonstrates a causal relationship between regulation of the neck muscles and global motor control. Studying violinists performing unskilled and skilled manual tasks, we provided ultrasound feedback of the neck muscles with instruction to minimize neck muscle change during task performance and observed the indirect effect on whole-body movement. Analysis of ultrasound, kinematic, electromyographic and electrodermal recordings showed that proactive inhibition targeted at neck muscles had an indirect global effect reducing the cost of movement, reducing complex involuntary, task-irrelevant movement patterns and improving balance. This effect was distinct from the effect of gaze alignment which increased physiological cost and reduced laboratory-referenced movement. Neck muscle inhibition imposes a proximal constraint on the global motor plan, forcing a change in highly automated sensorimotor control. The proximal location ensures global influence. The criterion, inhibition of unnecessary action, ensures reduced cost while facilitating task-relevant variation. This mechanism regulates global motor function and facilitates reinforcement learning to change engrained, maladapted sensorimotor control associated with chronic pain, injury and performance limitation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.