Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
European Journal of Applied Physiology
Published in: European Journal of Applied Physiology 1/2017

01-01-2017 | Original Article

Aging effect on muscle synergies in stepping forth during a forward perturbation

Authors: Yun Wang, Kazuhiko Watanabe, Tadayoshi Asaka

Published in: European Journal of Applied Physiology | Issue 1/2017

Login to get access

Abstract

Purpose

We explored changes in muscle interactions during healthy aging as a window into neural control strategies of postural preparation to action/perturbation. In particular, we quantified the strength of multi-muscle synergies stabilizing the center of pressure (COP) displacement during the preparation for making a step associated with support surface translations.

Methods

Young and elderly subjects were required to make a step in response to support surface perturbations. Surface muscle activity of 11 leg and trunk muscles was analyzed to identify sets of 4 muscle modes (M-modes). Linear combinations of M-modes and their relationship to changes in the COP displacement in the anterior–posterior direction were then determined. Uncontrolled manifold analysis was performed to determine variance components in the M-mode space and indices of M-mode synergy stabilizing COP displacement.

Results

Prior to the step initiation, the older subjects showed strong synergies that stabilized COP displacement to forward perturbation of the support surface. However, the synergy indices were significantly lower than those of the young subjects during preparation for making a step. The timings of early postural adjustment (EPA) and anticipatory postural adjustment (APA) were consistently earlier in the young subjects as compared to the older subjects. For both groups, the timing of EPA did not change across tasks, while APA showed delayed timing in response to the support surface translations.

Conclusions

We infer that changes in the indices of synergies with age may present challenges for the control of postural preparation to external perturbation in older adults. They may lead to excessive muscle co-contractions and low stability of COP displacement. The results reported here could have clinical relevance when identifying the risk of making a step, which has been linked to an increased risk of falls among the elderly.
Literature
Asaka T, Wang Y, Fukushima J, Latash ML (2008) Learning effects on muscle modes and multi-mode postural synergies. Exp Brain Res 184(3):323–338CrossRefPubMed
Belen’kii VE, Gurfinkel VS, Pal’tsev EI (1967) Control elements of voluntary movements. Biofizika 12(1):135–141PubMed
Benjuya N, Melzer I, Kaplanski J (2004) Aging-induced shifts from a reliance on sensory input to muscle cocontraction during balanced standing. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 59:166–171CrossRefPubMed
Bertucco M, Cesari P, Latash ML (2013) Fitts’ law in early postural adjustments. Neuroscience 231:61–69CrossRefPubMed
Eisen A, Entezari-Taher M, Stewart H (1996) Cortical projections to spinal motoneurons: changes with aging and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neurol 46:1396–1404CrossRef
Elble RJ, Moody C, Leffler K, Sinha R (1994) The initiation of normal walking. Mov Disord 9:139–146CrossRefPubMed
Hatzitaki V, Amiridis IG, Arabatzi F (2005) Aging effects on postural responses to self-imposed balance perturbations. Gait Posture 22:250–257CrossRefPubMed
Hicks GE, Shardell M, Alley DE (2012) Absolute strength and loss of strength as predictors of mobility decline in older adults: The InCHIANTI study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 67A(1):66–73CrossRef
Ito T, Azuma T, Yamashita N (2003) Anticipatory control in the initiation of a single step under biomechanical constraints in humans. Neurosci Lett 352(3):207–210CrossRefPubMed
Kilby MC, Slobounov SM, Newell KM (2014) Aging and the recovery of postural stability from taking a step. Gait Posture 40(4):701–706CrossRefPubMed
Klous M, Danna-dos-Santos A, Latash ML (2010) Multi-muscle synergies in a dual postural task: evidence for the principle of superposition. Exp Brain Res 202:457–471CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
Klous M, Mikulic P, Latash ML (2011) Two aspects of feed-forward postural control: anticipatory postural adjustments and anticipatory synergy adjustments. J Neurophysiol 105(5):2275–2288CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
Krishnamoorthy V, Goodman S, Zatsiorsky V, Latash ML (2003) Muscle synergies during shifts of the center of pressure by standing persons: identification of muscle modes. Biol Cybern 89:152–161CrossRefPubMed
Krishnan V, Latash ML, Aruin AS (2012) Early and late components of feed-forward postural adjustments to predictable perturbations. Clin Neurophysiol 123:1016–1026CrossRefPubMed
Latash ML (2010) Motor synergies and the equilibrium-point hypothesis. Mot Control 14(3):294–322CrossRef
Latash ML, Scholz JP, Schöner G (2007) Toward a new theory of motor synergies. Mot Control 11:276–308CrossRef
Massion J (1992) Movement, posture and equilibrium—interaction and coordination. Prog Neurobiol 38:35–56CrossRefPubMed
Nachshon I, Denno D, Aurand S (1983) Lateral preference of hand, eye and foot: relation to cerebral dominance. Int J Neurosci 18(1–2):1–9CrossRefPubMed
Papegaaij S, Taube W, Baudry S, Otten E, Hortobágyi T (2014) Aging causes a reorganization of cortical and spinal control of posture. Front Aging Neurosci 6:28PubMedPubMedCentral
Robert T, Zatsiorsky VM, Latash ML (2008) Multi-muscle synergies in an unusual postural task: quick shear force production. Exp Brain Res 187(2):237–253CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
Rogers MW, Kukulka CG, Soderberg GL (1992) Age-related changes in postural responses preceding rapid self-paced and reaction time arm movements. J Gerontol 47:M159–M165CrossRefPubMed
Sabatini AM (2002) Identification of neuromuscular synergies in natural upper-arm movements. Biol Cybern 86:253–262CrossRefPubMed
Shumway-Cook A, Woollacott M (2000) Motor control: theory and practical applications, 2nd edn. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia
Ting LH (2007) Dimensional reduction in sensorimotor systems: a framework for understanding muscle coordination of posture. Prog Brain Res 165:299–321CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
Tresch MC, Cheung VC, D’Avella A (2006) Matrix factorization algorithms for the identification of muscle synergies: evaluation on simulated and experimental data sets. J Neurophysiol 95(4):2199–2212CrossRefPubMed
Tsai YC, Hsieh LF, Yang S (2014) Age-related changes in posture response under a continuous and unexpected perturbation. J Biomech 47(2):482–490CrossRefPubMed
Wang Y, Asaka T (2008) Muscle synergies involved in shifts of the center of pressure while standing on a narrow support. Brain Res Bull 76(1–2):16–25CrossRefPubMed
Wang Y, Zatsiorsky VM, Latash ML (2005) Muscle synergies involved in shifting the center of pressure while making a first step. Exp Brain Res 167(2):196–210CrossRefPubMed
Wang Y, Zatsiorsky VM, Latash ML (2006) Muscle synergies involved in preparation to a step made under the self-paced and reaction time instructions. Clin Neurophysiol 117:41–56CrossRefPubMed
Wang Y, Asaka T, Watanabe K (2013) Multi-muscle synergies in elderly individuals: preparation to a step made under the self-paced and reaction time instructions. Exp Brain Res 226(4):463–472CrossRefPubMed
Wang Y, Watanabe K, Asaka T, Wan FT (2014) Muscle synergies in preparation to a step made with and without obstacle. Eur J Appl Physiol 114(12):2561–2569CrossRefPubMed
Wang Y, Watanabe K, Asaka T (2015a) Age effects on multi-muscle modes during voluntary body sway. Res Sports Med 23(1):88–101CrossRefPubMed
Wang Y, Watanabe K, Asaka T (2016) Muscle synergies underlying control of taking a step during support surface translation. Eur J Appl Physiol 116(2):301–309CrossRefPubMed
Woollacott MH, Manchester DL (1993) Anticipatory postural adjustments in older adults: are changes in response characteristics due to changes in strategy? J Gerontol 48:M64–M70CrossRefPubMed
Metadata
Title
Aging effect on muscle synergies in stepping forth during a forward perturbation
Authors
Yun Wang
Kazuhiko Watanabe
Tadayoshi Asaka
Publication date
01-01-2017
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
European Journal of Applied Physiology / Issue 1/2017
Print ISSN: 1439-6319
Electronic ISSN: 1439-6327
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-016-3514-8

Other articles of this Issue 1/2017

European Journal of Applied Physiology 1/2017 Go to the issue

Original Article

Effects of a 12-week, short-interval, intermittent, low-intensity, slow-jogging program on skeletal muscle, fat infiltration, and fitness in older adults: randomized controlled trial

Original Article

Changes in the electromechanical delay components during a fatiguing stimulation in human skeletal muscle: an EMG, MMG and force combined approach

Original Article

An acute session of roller massage prolongs voluntary torque development and diminishes evoked pain

Original Article

Relationships between lower body strength and the energy cost of treadmill walking in a cohort of healthy older adults: a cross-sectional analysis

Original Article

Physiological responses to interval endurance exercise at different levels of blood flow restriction

Original Article

Neural, biomechanical, and physiological factors involved in sex-related differences in the maximal rate of isometric torque development