Comparison of cortical and spinal contributions to the control of primate hand movements

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23700482
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Neurophysiology and muscle physiology
• Research Institution: National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry
• Principal Investigator: TAKEI Tomohiko 独立行政法人国立精神・神経医療研究センター, 神経研究所モデル動物開発研究部, 客員研究員 (50527950)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-28 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 把握運動 / 脊髄 / 大脳皮質一次運動野 / 筋シナジー / 巧緻性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Grasping is a highly complex movement, which involves a large number of hand and arm muscles. Here we explored how the spinal premotor interneurons (PreM-INs) in primate cervical cord and corticomotoneuronal cells (CM cells) in primary motor cortex are involved in coordination of the hand muscles. Our results suggested that the PreM-INs had divergent output effects on hand muscles to form the muscle synergies, which are coordinated patterns muscle activities. On the other hand, the CM cells had a fewer output effects on hand muscles to control each muscle in a more independent manner. These results suggested that primate hand movements are controlled by the two parallel pathways, which are dedicated to synergistic and relatively independent controls. This parallel control might be important to achieve the effective and flexible controls of complex hand movement.

Free Research Field

神経科学