Rose Dorian K, Winstein Carolee J
Department of Physical Therapy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0154, USA.
J Mot Behav. 2013;45(4):313-24. doi: 10.1080/00222895.2013.798250. Epub 2013 Jun 19.
Interlimb coordination obtained through temporal and spatial coupling is a significant feature of human motor control. To understand the robustness of this capability the authors introduced a method to quantify interlimb coordination strength and compare individuals with asymmetric effector ability poststroke to nondisabled controls. Quantitative analyses determined the relative strength of interlimb coupling with an asymmetric obstacle avoidance task. Participants performed bimanual discrete, multijoint aiming movements in the frontal plane with a vertical barrier positioned midway to the target for one limb. To quantify coupling strength between limbs and groups, we regressed individual participant nonbarrier limb movement time or maximum vertical displacement separately, on barrier limb performance. Temporal and spatial interlimb coupling strength varied across participants in both groups. Barrier limb performance predicted nonbarrier limb behavior; however, interlimb coupling was significantly stronger for the nondisabled compared to the stroke group. In the stroke group, deficits in interlimb coordination affected spatial coupling more than temporal coupling. The decreased coupling strength detected, even in the presence of mild hemiparesis, demonstrates the measure's sensitivity. The authors propose this metric as a powerful assessment of the effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions and to monitor the recovery of bimanual coordination poststroke.
通过时间和空间耦合获得的肢体间协调是人类运动控制的一个重要特征。为了理解这种能力的稳健性，作者引入了一种方法来量化肢体间协调强度，并将中风后效应器能力不对称的个体与非残疾对照组进行比较。定量分析通过一项不对称避障任务确定了肢体间耦合的相对强度。参与者在额平面上进行双手离散的多关节瞄准运动，其中一个肢体的目标中途设置了垂直障碍物。为了量化肢体和组间的耦合强度，我们分别将个体参与者无障碍物肢体的运动时间或最大垂直位移，对有障碍物肢体的表现进行回归分析。两组参与者的时间和空间肢体间耦合强度各不相同。有障碍物肢体的表现可预测无障碍物肢体的行为；然而，与中风组相比，非残疾组的肢体间耦合明显更强。在中风组中，肢体间协调缺陷对空间耦合的影响大于时间耦合。即使存在轻度偏瘫，检测到的耦合强度降低也证明了该测量方法的敏感性。作者提出，这种指标可作为评估康复干预效果的有力手段，并用于监测中风后双手协调的恢复情况。
