Citation

BibTex format

@article{Hug:2023:10.1113/JP283040,
author = {Hug, F and Avrillon, S and Sarcher, A and Del, Vecchio A and Farina, D},
doi = {10.1113/JP283040},
journal = {The Journal of Physiology},
pages = {3201--3219},
title = {Correlation networks of spinal motor neurons that innervate lower limb muscles during a multi-joint isometric task},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1113/JP283040},
volume = {601},
year = {2023}
}

RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB - Movements are reportedly controlled through the combination of synergies that generate specific motor outputs by imposing an activation pattern on a group of muscles. To date, the smallest unit of analysis of these synergies has been the muscle through the measurement of its activation. However, the muscle is not the lowest neural level of movement control. In this human study (n = 10), we used a purely data-driven method grounded on graph theory to extract networks of motor neurons based on their correlated activity during an isometric multi-joint task. Specifically, high-density surface electromyography recordings from six lower limb muscles were decomposed into motor neurons spiking activity. We analyzed these activities by identifying their common low-frequency components, from which networks of correlated activity to the motor neurons were derived and interpreted as networks of common synaptic inputs. The vast majority of the identified motor neurons shared common inputs with other motor neuron(s). In addition, groups of motor neurons were partly decoupled from their innervated muscle, such that motor neurons innervating the same muscle did not necessarily receive common inputs. Conversely, some motor neurons from different muscles – including distant muscles – received common inputs. Our study supports the theory that movements are produced through the control of small numbers of groups of motor neurons via common inputs and that there is a partial mismatch between these groups of motor neurons and muscle anatomy. We provide a new neural framework for a deeper understanding of the structure of common inputs to motor neurons.Abstract figure legend Ten participants performed an isometric multi-joint task, which consisted in producing force on an instrumented pedal. Adhesive grids of 64 electrodes were placed over six lower limb muscles (gastrocnemius medialis [GM] and lateralis [GL], vastus lateralis [VL] and medialis [VM], biceps femoris [BF], semit
AU - Hug,F
AU - Avrillon,S
AU - Sarcher,A
AU - Del,Vecchio A
AU - Farina,D
DO - 10.1113/JP283040
EP - 3219
PY - 2023///
SN - 0022-3751
SP - 3201
TI - Correlation networks of spinal motor neurons that innervate lower limb muscles during a multi-joint isometric task
T2 - The Journal of Physiology
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1113/JP283040
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/98182
VL - 601
ER -