Effects of aging on arm trajectory control during reaching

• Grant number: 05/00161-8
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2006
• End date: April 30, 2010
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physical Education
• Principal Investigator: Leia Bernardi Bagesteiro
• Grantee: Leia Bernardi Bagesteiro
• Host Institution: Pró-Reitoria Acadêmica. Universidade Cidade de São Paulo (UNICID). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Reaching movements to spatial targets require motor patterns at the shoulder to be coordinated carefully with those at the elbow to smoothly move the hand through space. On the one hand, studies performed predominantly on young subjects have provided a more thorough understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying motor control. In contrast, studies on reaching in older adults have suggested that the precise control mechanisms responsible for age-related changes remain controversial. We now hypothesize that aging effects will be manifested by impaired intersegment dynamics control. To test this hypothesis, we will employ a unique experimental paradigm (combining kinematics, inverse dynamics and EMG analyses), which we previously developed to investigate interim differences in control processes in the young. By specifically manipulating movement characteristics (e.g. presenting targets that require different amounts of shoulder and elbow motions) we will analyze interjoint coordination through intersegment dynamic contributions (interaction torques) (Le. movement strategies) during targeted reaching movements. We will investigate differences in both anticipatory mechanisms, as well as, somatosensory based error correction mechanisms by comparing responses to unexpected novel inertial dynamics (imposed by attaching a mass to an outrigger to the forearm). We will then examine vision and proprioception relative contributions in order to explore possible difficulties in interjoint coordination due to proprioceptive deficiency. These studies will provide a new approach for examining age related changes in neural control mechanisms and motor coordination, which is critical for rehabilitation applications. (AU)

Scientific publications

(4)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BAGESTEIRO, LEIA B.; LIMA, KARINA O.; WANG, JINSUNG. Interlimb differences in visuomotor and dynamic adaptation during targeted reaching in children. HUMAN MOVEMENT SCIENCE, v. 77, JUN 2021. (05/00161-8)

BAGESTEIRO, LEIA B.; TELLINI, TAMIRES L.; BROWN, LIANA E.. Analysis of motor characteristics of reaching movements in children with cerebral palsy. HELIYON, v. 9, n. 2, p. 12-pg., 2023-02-10. (05/00161-8)

TELLINI, TAMIRES LISBOA; LIMA, KARINA OLIVEIRA; ALOUCHE, SANDRA REGINA; BAGESTEIRO, LEIA BERNARDI. Compliant surface after ACL reconstruction and its effects on gait. ACTA SCIENTIARUM-HEALTH SCIENCES, v. 35, n. 2, p. 6-pg., 2013-07-01. (05/00161-8)

LEIA BERNARDI BAGESTEIRO. Aging related responses to conflicting proprioceptive and visual information about initial position during reaching. Rev. Bras. Eng. Bioméd., v. 29, n. 3, p. 227-241, 2013-09-00. (05/00161-8)