Sinusoidal vibrotactile stimulation differentially improves force steadiness depending on contraction intensity

Author(s)

Germer, Carina Marconi ^[1] ; Moreira, Luciana Sobral ^{[1, 2]} ; Elias, Leonardo Abdala ^{[3, 1]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Neural Engn Res Lab, Sch Elect & Comp Engn, Dept Biomed Engn, Av Albert Einstein 400, Off 228, Bldg A, BR-13083852 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Cellular & Struct Biol Grad Program, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Estadual Campinas, Ctr Biomed Engn, Campinas, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: MEDICAL & BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING & COMPUTING; v. 57, n. 8, p. 1813-1822, AUG 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Studies have reported the benefits of sensory noise in motor performance, but it is not clear if this phenomenon is influenced by muscle contraction intensity. Additionally, most of the studies investigated the role of a stochastic noise on the improvement of motor control and there is no evidence that a sinusoidal vibrotactile stimulation could also enhance motor performance. Eleven participants performed a sensorimotor task while sinusoidal vibrations were applied to the finger skin. The effects of an optimal vibration (OV) on force steadiness were evaluated in different contraction intensities. We assessed the standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CoV) of force signals. OV significantly decreased force SD irrespective of contraction intensity, but the decrease in force CoV was significantly higher for low-intensity contraction. To the best of our knowledge, our findings are the first evidence that sinusoidal vibrotactile stimulation can enhance force steadiness in a motor task. Also, the significant improvement caused by OV during low-intensity contractions is probably due to the higher sensitivity of the motor system to the synaptic noise. These results add to the current knowledge on the effects of vibrotactile stimulation in motor control and have potential implications for the development of wearable haptic devices. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/22191-3 - Effects of sensory and biomechanical manipulations on the neurophysiological control of muscle force: experiments and computer simulations
• Grantee: Leonardo Abdala Elias
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants