Voluntary motor control focusing on bilateral rhythmic movements of the ankle joint in daily life

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K19877
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 59010:Rehabilitation science-related
• Research Institution: Tohoku Bunka Gakuen University
• Principal Investigator: Numata Atsuki 東北文化学園大学, 医療福祉学部, 助手 (20780464)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: リズム運動制御 / 足関節運動 / タッピング課題 / 歩行リハビリテーション

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristics of rhythmic motor control of bilateral lower limbs involved in walking. Using synchronized finger- and foot-tapping tasks in which participants press the reaction button in synchrony with the tones presented at fixed inter-stimulus intervals (ISIs), the accuracy and temporal stability of tap timing depending on the movement phase of both limbs were investigated. As a result, in the antiphase movement of the lower limbs, the temporal stability was significantly higher than that of unilateral and in-phase movement, but not in the finger-tapping task. Furthermore, the temporal stability of the lower limbs in the antiphase movement was preserved even if the auditory information by sound stimulus and tactile feedback by tapping were excluded. The preserved temporal synchronization for antiphase movement for the lower limbs, but not finger-tapping, may be due to the neural mechanisms underlying locomotion.

Free Research Field

理学療法学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は，手指に比べて，歩行運動のような自動的な要素が強い下肢を対象として，足関節の随意的なリズム運動に着目し，両側足関節を用いたその運動制御について，運動学的・神経生理学的手法を用いて多角的に解明することを特徴とした．それにより，随意的なリズム制御機構に着目した新たな機能評価・リハビリ技術を提案することが出来ると考える．さらに本研究は，リハビリ領域のみならず，福祉やスポーツ領域での応用につながると考えられる．今後は，今回得られた知見を基に，小脳疾患やパーキンソン病患者の下肢リズム制御の特徴を明らかにし，時間処理機能に着目した新たな歩行リハビリの技術展開を目指す予定である．