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Neuromuscular Control of Human Movement

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Opole University of Technology, 45-027 Opole, Poland
Interests: neurosciencere; habilitation; sports sciences; movement analysis; biomechanics of walking; neuromuscular structure of movement

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The analysis of neuromuscular control is of particular importance in the aging process of an organism, as well as in the development of motor skills at various levels. Through strategically developing short- and long-term intervention programs, we are able to test the response of neurons and muscles in an individual's postural control. If the tests indicate that one or more of the subject's motor control systems do not work well, we recommend physical activity that is designed to retrain neurons, enabling the person to regain the use of dormant neurons and muscles. In addition, modern and innovative methods of obtaining and analyzing human movement data contribute to a deeper understanding of the problem of neuromuscular integration, both in healthy individuals and patients.

Dr. Monika Błaszczyszyn
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • neuromuscular control
  • spinal reflex system
  • elderly
  • Emg
  • fMRI
  • motor control
  • balance control
  • data analysis
  • human movement

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1755 KiB  
Article
RGB-Depth Camera-Based Assessment of Motor Capacity: Normative Data for Six Standardized Motor Tasks
by Hanna Marie Röhling, Karen Otte, Sophia Rekers, Carsten Finke, Rebekka Rust, Eva-Maria Dorsch, Behnoush Behnia, Friedemann Paul and Tanja Schmitz-Hübsch
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(24), 16989; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416989 - 17 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1780
Abstract
Background: Instrumental motion analysis constitutes a promising development in the assessment of motor function in clinical populations affected by movement disorders. To foster implementation and facilitate interpretation of respective outcomes, we aimed to establish normative data of healthy subjects for a markerless RGB-Depth [...] Read more.
Background: Instrumental motion analysis constitutes a promising development in the assessment of motor function in clinical populations affected by movement disorders. To foster implementation and facilitate interpretation of respective outcomes, we aimed to establish normative data of healthy subjects for a markerless RGB-Depth camera-based motion analysis system and to illustrate their use. Methods: We recorded 133 healthy adults (56% female) aged 20 to 60 years with an RGB-Depth camera-based motion analysis system. Forty-three spatiotemporal parameters were extracted from six short, standardized motor tasks—including three gait tasks, stepping in place, standing-up and sitting down, and a postural control task. Associations with confounding factors, height, weight, age, and sex were modelled using a predictive linear regression approach. A z-score normalization approach was provided to improve usability of the data. Results: We reported descriptive statistics for each spatiotemporal parameter (mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, quartiles). Robust confounding associations emerged for step length and step width in comfortable speed gait only. Accessible normative data usage was lastly exemplified with recordings from one randomly selected individual with multiple sclerosis. Conclusion: We provided normative data for an RGB depth camera-based motion analysis system covering broad aspects of motor capacity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neuromuscular Control of Human Movement)
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16 pages, 5558 KiB  
Article
Thermovision as a Tool for Athletes to Verify the Symmetry of Work of Individual Muscle Segments
by Agnieszka Szurko, Teresa Kasprzyk-Kucewicz, Armand Cholewka, Maksymilian Kazior, Karolina Sieroń, Agata Stanek and Tadeusz Morawiec
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(14), 8490; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148490 - 12 Jul 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2354
Abstract
In the presented research, we characterised the temperature profiles and the degree of preparation for exercise of individual muscle groups of athletes We hypothesise that by means of thermal imaging studies, the effectiveness of the warm-up can be monitored to determine whether the [...] Read more.
In the presented research, we characterised the temperature profiles and the degree of preparation for exercise of individual muscle groups of athletes We hypothesise that by means of thermal imaging studies, the effectiveness of the warm-up can be monitored to determine whether the effort of individual muscles is equal and symmetrical, which can help to avoid a potential injury. In the study, thermographic imaging was performed on a group of athletes exercising on a rowing ergometer involving almost 80% of the muscle parts of the human body for intense and symmetrical exercise. Thermovision studies have confirmed, based on the increased temperature of the muscle areas, that the rowing ergometer involves many muscle groups in training. Moreover, based on the shape of the temperature function obtained from individual body regions of interest, it was shown that conventional exercise on a rowing ergometer causes almost symmetrical work of the right and left sides of the body. Obtained temperature changes in most of the studied muscle areas showed minimum temperature reached the beginning of training—mostly phases 1 and 2. During the subsequent phases, the temperature increase was monitored, stopping at resting temperature. Significantly, temperature variations did not exceed 0.5 °C in all post-training phases. Statistical analyses did not show any significant differences in the symmetry of right and left muscle areas corresponding to the muscle location temperature. Thermal imaging may be an innovative wholly non-invasive and safe method, because checking induces adaptation processes, which may become indicators of an athlete’s efficiency. The imaging can be continuously repeated, and automatic comparison of average temperature or temperature difference may provide some clues that protect athletes from overtraining or serious injuries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neuromuscular Control of Human Movement)
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Review

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18 pages, 1516 KiB  
Review
Impact of Virtual Reality Cognitive and Motor Exercises on Brain Health
by Beata Sokołowska
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4150; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054150 - 25 Feb 2023
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5564
Abstract
Innovative technologies of the 21st century have an extremely significant impact on all activities of modern humans. Among them, virtual reality (VR) offers great opportunities for scientific research and public health. The results of research to date both demonstrate the beneficial effects of [...] Read more.
Innovative technologies of the 21st century have an extremely significant impact on all activities of modern humans. Among them, virtual reality (VR) offers great opportunities for scientific research and public health. The results of research to date both demonstrate the beneficial effects of using virtual worlds, and indicate undesirable effects on bodily functions. This review presents interesting recent findings related to training/exercise in virtual environments and its impact on cognitive and motor functions. It also highlights the importance of VR as an effective tool for assessing and diagnosing these functions both in research and modern medical practice. The findings point to the enormous future potential of these rapidly developing innovative technologies. Of particular importance are applications of virtual reality in basic and clinical neuroscience. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neuromuscular Control of Human Movement)
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Other

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24 pages, 2868 KiB  
Systematic Review
Does Standing Up Enhance Performance on the Stroop Task in Healthy Young Adults? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Maja Maša Šömen, Manca Peskar, Bettina Wollesen, Klaus Gramann and Uros Marusic
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2319; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032319 - 28 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4014
Abstract
Understanding the changes in cognitive processing that accompany changes in posture can expand our understanding of embodied cognition and open new avenues for applications in (neuro)ergonomics. Recent studies have challenged the question of whether standing up alters cognitive performance. An electronic database search [...] Read more.
Understanding the changes in cognitive processing that accompany changes in posture can expand our understanding of embodied cognition and open new avenues for applications in (neuro)ergonomics. Recent studies have challenged the question of whether standing up alters cognitive performance. An electronic database search for randomized controlled trials was performed using Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Ultimate, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Web of Science following PRISMA guidelines, PICOS framework, and standard quality assessment criteria (SQAC). We pooled data from a total of 603 healthy young adults for incongruent and 578 for congruent stimuli and Stroop effect (mean age = 24 years). Using random-effects results, no difference was found between sitting and standing for the Stroop effect (Hedges’ g = 0.13, 95% CI = −0.04 to 0.29, p = 0.134), even when comparing congruent (Hedges’ g = 0.10; 95% CI: −0.132 to 0.339; Z = 0.86; p = 0.389) and incongruent (Hedges’ g = 0.18; 95% CI: −0.072 to 0.422; Z = 1.39; p = 0.164) stimuli separately. Importantly, these results imply that changing from a seated to a standing posture in healthy young adults is unlikely to have detrimental effects on selective attention and cognitive control. To gain a full understanding of this phenomenon, further research should examine this effect in a population of healthy older adults, as well as in a population with pathology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neuromuscular Control of Human Movement)
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