Two motor neuron synergies, invariant across ankle joint angles, activate the triceps surae during plantarflexion.

ABSTRACT: Recent studies have suggested that the nervous system generates movements by controlling groups of motor neurons (synergies) that do not always align with muscle anatomy. In this study, we determined whether these synergies are robust across tasks with different mechanical constraints. We identified motor neuron synergies using principal component analysis (PCA) and cross-correlations between smoothed discharge rates of motor neurons. In part 1, we used simulations to validate these methods. The results suggested that PCA can accurately identify the number of common inputs and their distribution across active motor neurons. Moreover, the results confirmed that cross-correlation can separate pairs of motor neurons that receive common inputs from those that do not receive common inputs. In p

SUBMITTER: Levine J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10952824 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature