| Budget Amount *help |
¥1,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,900,000)
Fiscal Year 2006: ¥800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000)
Fiscal Year 2005: ¥1,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000)
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| Research Abstract |
The present study investigated, (1) wither there is a central pattern generating (CPG) system similar to that reported in quadruped animals, (2) how the CPG system controlling the arm and leg movement interacts during simultaneous arm and leg (AL) cycling, (3) to what extend the interaction of the CPGs during AL cycling are altered during repetition of the motor task. To these ends, AL cycling was used as the motor task in this study. First, the present study investigated to what extent intralimb and iterlimb cutaneous reflexes are altered while AL cycling under different kinematic and postural conditions. The magnitude of interimb and intralimb cutaneous reflexes in the arm and leg muscles was significantly modulated depending on the drank position for the relevant limb (phase-dependent modulation). There was no significant difference in comparisons of the magnitude of intralimb and interlimb cutaneous reflexes obtained during in-(phase lag 0 ) and anti-phase (phase lag 180 )AL cyclin
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g in sitting and standing positions. The next study was conducted to investigate how coupling of both limbs is coordinated during AL cycling. Ten subjects performed AL cycling at their preferred cadences without feedback for 10 s, and then were asked to voluntarily change the cadence (increase, decrease, or stop) of arm or leg cycling. Leg cycling cadence was not affected by voluntary changess in arm cadence. By contrast, arm cycling cadence was significantly altered when leg cycling cadence was changed. Lastly, the present study investigated how the predominant lumbocervical influence of leg cycling on arm cycling during AL cycling was altered by repetition of the task (learning effect). It was found that the precominant lumbocervical influence was significantly decreased after 2 or 3 days of training. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggest that a CPG does exist inhumans and that tightness of the coupling of the CPGs in the spinal cord controlling arm and leg movement was flexibly strengthened or weakened depending on the context of motor task. Less
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