UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Fast Adapting Mechanoreceptors are Important for Force Control in Precision Grip but not for Sensorimotor Memory

Park, SB; Davare, M; Falla, M; Kennedy, WR; Selim, MM; Wendelschafer-Crabb, G; Koltzenburg, M; (2016) Fast Adapting Mechanoreceptors are Important for Force Control in Precision Grip but not for Sensorimotor Memory. Journal of Neurophysiology 10.1152/jn.00195.2016.

[thumbnail of Koltzenburg_Grip lift (J.Neurophysiol.).pdf] Text
Koltzenburg_Grip lift (J.Neurophysiol.).pdf
Access restricted to UCL open access staff

Download (1MB)

Abstract

Sensory feedback from cutaneous mechanoreceptors in the fingertips is important in effective object manipulation, allowing appropriate scaling of grip and load forces during precision grip. However the role of mechanoreceptor subtypes in these tasks remains incompletely understood. To address this issue, psychophysical tasks which may specifically assess function of type I rapidly adapting (RAI) and slowly adapting (SAI) mechanoreceptors were used with object manipulation experiments to examine the regulation of grip force control in an experimental model of graded reduction in tactile sensitivity (healthy volunteers wearing two layers of latex gloves). With gloves, tactile sensitivity decreased significantly from 1.9 ± 0.4μm to 12.3 ± 2.2μm in the Bumps task assessing function of RAI afferents, but not in a grating orientation task assessing SAI afferents (1.6±0.1mm to 1.8±0.2mm). Six axis force/torque sensors measured peak grip (PGF) and load forces (PLF) generated by the fingertips during a grip-lift task. With gloves there was a significant increase of PGF (14±6%), PLF (17±5%) and grip and load force rates (26±8%; 20±8%). A variable weight series task was used to examine sensorimotor memory. There was a 20% increase in PGF when the lift of a light object was preceded by a heavy relative to a light object. This relationship was not significantly altered when lifting with gloves, suggesting that the addition of gloves did not change sensorimotor memory effects. We conclude that RAI fibres may be important for the online force scaling but not for the build-up of a sensorimotor memory.

Type: Article
Title: Fast Adapting Mechanoreceptors are Important for Force Control in Precision Grip but not for Sensorimotor Memory
DOI: 10.1152/jn.00195.2016
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.00195.2016
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © 2016, Journal of Neurophysiology.
Keywords: mechanoreceptor, precision grip, psychophysics
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology > Clinical and Movement Neurosciences
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1482294
Downloads since deposit
0Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item