Gravity-efficient motor control is associated with contraction-dependent intracortical inhibition.
Fiche publication
Date publication
juillet 2023
Journal
iScience
Auteurs
Membres identifiés du Cancéropôle Est :
Pr PAPAXANTHIS Charalambos
Tous les auteurs :
Gueugneau N, Martin A, Gaveau J, Papaxanthis C
Lien Pubmed
Résumé
In humans, moving efficiently along the gravity axis requires shifts in muscular contraction modes. Raising the arm up involves shortening contractions of arm flexors, whereas the reverse movement can rely on lengthening contractions with the help of gravity. Although this control mode is universal, the neuromuscular mechanisms that drive gravity-oriented movements remain unknown. Here, we designed neurophysiological experiments that aimed to track the modulations of cortical, spinal, and muscular outputs of arm flexors during vertical movements with specific kinematics (i.e., optimal motor commands). We report a specific drop of corticospinal excitability during lengthening versus shortening contractions, with an increase of intracortical inhibition and no change in spinal motoneuron responsiveness. We discuss these contraction-dependent modulations of the supraspinal motor output in the light of feedforward mechanisms that may support gravity-tuned motor control. Generally, these results shed a new perspective on the neural policy that optimizes movement control along the gravity axis.
Mots clés
Neuroscience, Space medicine
Référence
iScience. 2023 07 21;26(7):107150