Musselman Kristin E, Yang Jaynie F
Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Centre for Neuroscience, Department of Physical Therapy, 2-50 Corbett Hall, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G4, Canada.
J Neurophysiol. 2008 Oct;100(4):2225-34. doi: 10.1152/jn.90532.2008. Epub 2008 Jul 23.
Different rhythmic leg movements in vertebrates can share coordinating neural circuitry. These movements are often similar kinematically, and smooth transitions between the different movements are common. We focused on interlimb coordination of the legs in young infants to determine whether weight bearing and non-weight bearing movements might share coordinating circuitry. If interlimb coordination is controlled by the same circuitry, the same coordination (i.e., either synchronous or alternate) should be seen in different rhythmic movements. Moreover, if we altered the interlimb coordination in one movement through exercise, it should translate to a change in coordination in another rhythmic movement that received no exercise. Video and electrogoniometry were recorded while 46 infants (age, 6.2+/-1.4 mo) performed non-weight bearing and weight bearing movements. Interlimb coordination was quantified by the phase lag between the movement cycles of each leg. Most infants (83%) showed the same coordination in weight bearing and non-weight bearing movements. Ten infants practiced the form of coordination they did not exhibit in the first visit, in weight bearing for 4 wk. Following practice, 8 of 10 infants changed their interlimb coordination in weight bearing to that practiced. Some who practiced synchronous coordination also changed their coordination in non-weight bearing activity. More infants showed both forms of coordination after practice and smooth transitions between the two forms. The results suggest that interlimb coordination is malleable in infants, and there is a partial sharing of the neural substrates for interlimb coordination between different rhythmic leg movements in infants.
脊椎动物中不同的有节奏腿部运动可能共享协调神经回路。这些运动在运动学上通常相似，并且不同运动之间的平稳过渡很常见。我们专注于幼儿腿部的肢体间协调，以确定负重和非负重运动是否可能共享协调回路。如果肢体间协调由相同的回路控制，那么在不同的有节奏运动中应该会看到相同的协调方式（即同步或交替）。此外，如果我们通过锻炼改变一种运动中的肢体间协调，那么这种改变应该会转化为另一种未进行锻炼的有节奏运动中的协调变化。在46名婴儿（年龄6.2±1.4个月）进行非负重和负重运动时，记录了视频和角度测量数据。通过每条腿运动周期之间的相位滞后对肢体间协调进行量化。大多数婴儿（83%）在负重和非负重运动中表现出相同的协调方式。10名婴儿练习了他们在首次就诊时未表现出的协调形式，即负重练习4周。练习后，10名婴儿中有8名改变了他们在负重时的肢体间协调方式，变为练习的那种。一些练习同步协调的婴儿在非负重活动中的协调方式也发生了改变。更多婴儿在练习后表现出两种协调形式，并且两种形式之间有平稳过渡。结果表明，婴儿的肢体间协调是可塑的，并且婴儿不同有节奏腿部运动之间的肢体间协调神经基质存在部分共享。
