Neck Muscles in the Rhesus Monkey. II. Electromyographic Patterns of Activation Underlying Postures and Movements

2001 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 1729-1749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian D. Corneil ◽  
Etienne Olivier ◽  
Frances J. R. Richmond ◽  
Gerald E. Loeb ◽  
Douglas P. Munoz
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Neck Muscles ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Emg Activity ◽  
Neck Muscle ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Patterns ◽  
Gaze Shifts ◽  
Antagonist Muscles ◽  
Agonist And Antagonist ◽  
Head Positions

Electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded in ≤12 neck muscles in four alert monkeys whose heads were unrestrained to describe the spatial and temporal patterns of neck muscle activation accompanying a large range of head postures and movements. Some head postures and movements were elicited by training animals to generate gaze shifts to visual targets. Other spontaneous head movements were made during orienting, tracking, feeding, expressive, and head-shaking behaviors. These latter movements exhibited a wider range of kinematic patterns. Stable postures and small head movements of only a few degrees were associated with activation of a small number of muscles in a reproducible synergy. Additional muscles were recruited for more eccentric postures and larger movements. For head movements during trained gaze shifts, movement amplitude, velocity, and acceleration were correlated linearly and agonist muscles were recruited without antagonist muscles. Complex sequences of reciprocal bursts in agonist and antagonist muscles were observed during very brisk movements. Turning movements of similar amplitudes that began from different initial head positions were associated with systematic variations in the activities of different muscles and in the relative timings of these activities. Unique recruitment synergies were observed during feeding and head-shaking behaviors. Our results emphasize that the recruitment of a given muscle was generally ordered and consistent but that strategies for coordination among various neck muscles were often complex and appeared to depend on the specifics of musculoskeletal architecture, posture, and movement kinematics that differ substantially among species.

Neck Muscle Responses to Stimulation of Monkey Superior Colliculus. II. Gaze Shift Initiation and Volitional Head Movements

2002 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 2000-2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian D. Corneil ◽  
Etienne Olivier ◽  
Douglas P. Munoz
Keyword(s):  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Neck Muscles ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Emg Activity ◽  
Neck Muscle ◽  
Gaze Shift ◽  
Antagonist Muscles ◽  
Agonist And Antagonist ◽  
Agonist And Antagonist Muscles ◽  
Stimulation Of

We report neck muscle activity and head movements evoked by electrical stimulation of the superior colliculus (SC) in head-unrestrained monkeys. Recording neck electromyography (EMG) circumvents complications arising from the head's inertia and the kinetics of muscle force generation and allows precise assessment of the neuromuscular drive to the head plant. This study served two main purposes. First, we sought to test the predictions made in the companion paper of a parallel drive from the SC onto neck muscles. Low-current, long-duration stimulation evoked both neck EMG responses and head movements either without or prior to gaze shifts, testifying to a SC drive to neck muscles that is independent of gaze-shift initiation. However, gaze-shift initiation was linked to a transient additional EMG response and head acceleration, confirming the presence of a SC drive to neck muscles that is dependent on gaze-shift initiation. We forward a conceptual neural architecture and suggest that this parallel drive provides the oculomotor system with the flexibility to orient the eyes and head independently or together, depending on the behavioral context. Second, we compared the EMG responses evoked by SC stimulation to those that accompanied volitional head movements. We found characteristic features in the underlying pattern of evoked neck EMG that were not observed during volitional head movements in spite of the seemingly natural kinematics of evoked head movements. These features included reciprocal patterning of EMG activity on the agonist and antagonist muscles during stimulation, a poststimulation increase in the activity of antagonist muscles, and synchronously evoked responses on agonist and antagonist muscles regardless of initial horizontal head position. These results demonstrate that the electrically evoked SC drive to the head cannot be considered as a neural replicate of the SC drive during volitional head movements and place important new constraints on the interpretation of electrically evoked head movements.

Neck Muscle Synergies During Stimulation and Inactivation of the Interstitial Nucleus of Cajal (INC)

2008 ◽  
Vol 100 (3) ◽  
pp. 1677-1685 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farshad Farshadmanesh ◽  
Pengfei Chang ◽  
Hongying Wang ◽  
Xiaogang Yan ◽  
Brian D. Corneil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Head Rotation ◽  
Neck Muscles ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Emg Activity ◽  
Muscle Synergies ◽  
Neck Muscle ◽  
Interstitial Nucleus Of Cajal ◽  
Splenius Capitis ◽  
The Relationship

The interstitial nucleus of Cajal (INC) is thought to control torsional and vertical head posture. Unilateral microstimulation of the INC evokes torsional head rotation to positions that are maintained until stimulation offset. Unilateral INC inactivation evokes head position-holding deficits with the head tilted in the opposite direction. However, the underlying muscle synergies for these opposite behavioral effects are unknown. Here, we examined neck muscle activity in head-unrestrained monkeys before and during stimulation (50 μA, 200 ms, 300 Hz) and inactivation (injection of 0.3 μl of 0.05% muscimol) of the same INC sites. Three-dimensional eye and head movements were recorded simultaneously with electromyographic (EMG) activity in six bilateral neck muscles: sternocleidomastoid (SCM), splenius capitis (SP), rectus capitis posterior major (RCPmaj.), occipital capitis inferior (OCI), complexus (COM), and biventer cervicis (BC). INC stimulation evoked a phasic, short-latency (∼5–10 ms) facilitation and later (∼100–200 ms) a more tonic facilitation in the activity of ipsi-SCM, ipsi-SP, ipsi-COM, ipsi-BC, contra-RCPmaj., and contra-OCI. Unilateral INC inactivation led to an increase in the activity of contra-SCM, ipsi-SP, ipsi-RCPmaj., and ipsi-OCI and a decrease in the activity of contra-RCPmaj. and contra-OCI. Thus the influence of INC stimulation and inactivation were opposite on some muscles (i.e., contra-OCI and contra-RCPmaj.), but the comparative influences on other neck muscles were more variable. These results show that the relationship between the neck muscle responses during INC stimulation and inactivation is much more complex than the relationship between the overt behaviors.

scholarly journals Neck Muscle Responses to Stimulation of Monkey Superior Colliculus. I. Topography and Manipulation of Stimulation Parameters

2002 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 1980-1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian D. Corneil ◽  
Etienne Olivier ◽  
Douglas P. Munoz
Keyword(s):  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Emg Activity ◽  
Eye Position ◽  
Neck Muscle ◽  
Evoked Responses ◽  
Inferior Rectus ◽  
Gaze Shifts ◽  
Stimulation Current ◽  
Stimulation Of

The role of the primate superior colliculus (SC) in orienting head movements was studied by recording electromyographic (EMG) activity from multiple neck muscles following electrical stimulation of the SC. Combining SC stimulation with neck EMG recordings provides an objective and sensitive measure of the SC drive onto neck muscle motoneurons, particularly in relation to evoked gaze shifts. In this paper, we address how neck EMG responses to SC stimulation in head-restrained monkeys depend on the rostrocaudal, mediolateral, and dorsoventral location of the stimulating electrode within the SC and vary with manipulations of the eye position prior to stimulation onset and changes in stimulation current and duration. Stimulation predominantly evoked EMG responses on the muscles obliquus capitis inferior, rectus capitis posterior major, and splenius capitis. These responses became larger in magnitude and shorter in onset latency for progressively more caudal stimulation locations, consistent with turning the head. However, evoked responses persisted even for more rostral stimulation locations usually not associated with head movements. Manipulating initial eye position revealed that the magnitude of evoked responses became stronger as the eyes attained positions contralateral to the side of stimulation, consistent with a summation between a generic command evoked by SC stimulation and the influence of eye position on tonic neck EMG. Manipulating stimulation current and duration revealed that the relationship between gaze shifts and evoked EMG responses is not obligatory: short-duration (<20 ms) or low-current stimulation evoked neck EMG responses in the absence of gaze shifts. However, long-duration stimulation (>150 ms) occasionally revealed a transient neck EMG response aligned on the onset of sequential gaze shifts. We conclude that the SC drive to neck muscle motoneurons is far more widespread than traditionally supposed and is relayed through intervening elements which may or may not be activated in association with gaze shifts.

Widespread Presaccadic Recruitment of Neck Muscles by Stimulation of the Primate Frontal Eye Fields

2007 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 1333-1354 ◽  
Author(s):  
James K. Elsley ◽  
Benjamin Nagy ◽  
Sharon L. Cushing ◽  
Brian D. Corneil
Keyword(s):  
Neck Muscles ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Emg Activity ◽  
Head Motion ◽  
Frontal Eye Fields ◽  
Conduction Time ◽  
Evoked Responses ◽  
Gaze Shifts ◽  
Gaze Shift ◽  
Stimulation Of

We studied the role of the primate frontal eye fields (FEFs) in eye-head gaze shifts by recording EMG activity from multiple dorsal neck muscles after electrical stimulation of a broad distribution of sites throughout FEF. We assess our results in light of four mechanisms forwarded to account for why eye and head movements follow FEF stimulation. Two mechanisms propose that movements are generated indirectly by FEF stimulation in response to either a percept or an eccentric orbital position. Two other mechanisms propose that movements are evoked directly through the issuance of either a gaze command or separate eye and head commands. FEF stimulation evoked short-latency (∼20 ms) neck EMG responses from the vast majority (>95%) of stimulation sites. Evoked responses usually preceded the gaze shift by ∼20 ms, even for small gaze shifts (<10°) not typically associated with head motion. Evoked responses began earlier and attained a larger magnitude when accompanied by larger gaze shifts and took a form consistent with the recruitment of the appropriately directed head movements to accompany the evoked gaze shift. We also observed robust neck EMG even when stimulation failed to evoke a gaze shift and occasionally observed head-only movements when the head was unrestrained. These results resemble neck EMG evoked from the superior colliculus (SC). Neck EMG response latencies approached the minimal conduction time to the motor periphery and hence are not consistent with either of the indirect mechanisms. The widespread nature of the cephalomotor drive from the FEF, the scaling of neck EMG responses with gaze magnitude, and the consistently earlier generation of the EMG versus gaze response are difficult to reconcile with suggestions that separate FEF channels encode eye and head motion independently. The most parsimonious interpretation is that a gaze command issued by the FEF is decomposed into eye and head commands downstream of the SC. The relative timing of the neck EMG and gaze shift responses, and the presence of neck EMG responses on trials without gaze shifts, implies that head premotor elements are not subjected to the same brain stem control mechanisms governing gaze shifts.

Effect of neck posture on the activation of feline neck muscles during voluntary head turns

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 2004-2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. B. Thomson ◽  
G. E. Loeb ◽  
F. J. Richmond
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Motor Program ◽  
Neck Muscles ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Neck Muscle ◽  
Head Turning ◽  
Activation Patterns ◽  
Levator Scapulae ◽  
Horizontal Head

1. To determine whether neck posture affects the usage of neck muscles during a specific motor task, we recorded the electromyographic (EMG) patterns of neck muscles in four cats, which made horizontal, head-turning movements to fixate eccentrically placed targets. In some trials, the cervical column was oriented vertically whereas in other trials, the cervical column was oriented more horizontally. 2. During horizontal head movements, five muscles (obliquus capitis inferior, splenius, levator scapulae, complexus, and biventer cervicis) displayed activation patterns that were consistent from cat to cat and did not change when the cats adopted a different neck posture. Most of these muscles are large, superficial muscles that attach to the skull and span many cervical joints. 3. Posturally dependent patterns of activation were observed in five other neck muscles (semispinalis cervicis, longissimus capitis, levator scapulae ventralis, scalenus anterior, and obliquus capitis superior). Most of these muscles lie deeper and more laterally within the neck musculature and generally span fewer cervical joints than the muscles that displayed invariant patterns of activation. 4. These results suggest that the set of invariantly activated muscles may compose part of a basic motor program that is triggered during head movements in the horizontal plane. This motor program appears to be modified by the selective activation of ancillary muscles, which are recruited in a manner related to the neck posture. The deep positioning of the ancillary muscles may permit them to regulate the mobility of the cervical column and to adjust the net muscular force applied across the neck to the skull. Organizing the motor output in this manner might simplify the task of computing the appropriate patterns of neck-muscle activation.

scholarly journals Differential Influence of Attention on Gaze and Head Movements

2009 ◽  
Vol 101 (1) ◽  
pp. 198-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aarlenne Z. Khan ◽  
Gunnar Blohm ◽  
Robert M. McPeek ◽  
Philippe Lefèvre
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Times ◽  
Stimulus Onset ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Neck Muscle ◽  
Gaze Shifts ◽  
Opposite Pattern ◽  
Saccade Onset ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Onset Asynchrony ◽  
Electromyographic Signals

A salient peripheral cue can capture attention, influencing subsequent responses to a target. Attentional cueing effects have been studied for head-restrained saccades; however, under natural conditions, the head contributes to gaze shifts. We asked whether attention influences head movements in combined eye–head gaze shifts and, if so, whether this influence is different for the eye and head components. Subjects made combined eye–head gaze shifts to horizontal visual targets. Prior to target onset, a behaviorally irrelevant cue was flashed at the same (congruent) or opposite (incongruent) location at various stimulus-onset asynchrony (SOA) times. We measured eye and head movements and neck muscle electromyographic signals. Reaction times for the eye and head were highly correlated; both showed significantly shorter latencies (attentional facilitation) for congruent compared with incongruent cues at the two shortest SOAs and the opposite pattern (inhibition of return) at the longer SOAs, consistent with attentional modulation of a common eye–head gaze drive. Interestingly, we also found that the head latency relative to saccade onset was significantly shorter for congruent than that for incongruent cues. This suggests an effect of attention on the head separate from that on the eyes.

scholarly journals Muscle Activation During Selected Strength Exercises in Women With Chronic Neck Muscle Pain

2008 ◽  
Vol 88 (6) ◽  
pp. 703-711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars L Andersen ◽  
Michael Kjær ◽  
Christoffer H Andersen ◽  
Peter B Hansen ◽  
Mette K Zebis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Diagnosis ◽  
Muscle Pain ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Trapezius Muscle ◽  
Emg Activity ◽  
Neck Muscle ◽  
Electromyographic Activity ◽  
Trapezius Myalgia ◽  
Shoulder Muscles ◽  
Strength Exercises

Background and PurposeMuscle-specific strength training has previously been shown to be effective in the rehabilitation of chronic neck muscle pain in women. The aim of this study was to determine the level of activation of the neck and shoulder muscles using surface electromyography (EMG) during selected strengthening exercises in women undergoing rehabilitation for chronic neck muscle pain (defined as a clinical diagnosis of trapezius myalgia).SubjectsThe subjects were 12 female workers (age=30–60 years) with a clinical diagnosis of trapezius myalgia and a mean baseline pain intensity of 5.6 (range=3–8) on a scale of 0 to 9.MethodElectromyographic activity in the trapezius and deltoid muscles was measured during the exercises (lateral raises, upright rows, shrugs, one-arm rows, and reverse flys) and normalized to EMG activity recorded during a maximal voluntary static contraction (MVC).ResultsFor most exercises, the level of muscle activation was relatively high (&gt;60% of MVC), highlighting the effectiveness and specificity of the respective exercises. For the trapezius muscle, the highest level of muscle activation was found during the shrug (102±11% of MVC), lateral raise (97±6% of MVC), and upright row (85±5% of MVC) exercises, but the latter 2 exercises required smaller training loads (3–10 kg) compared with the shrug exercise (20–30 kg).Discussion and ConclusionThe lateral raise and upright row may be suitable alternatives to shrugs during rehabilitation of chronic neck muscle pain. Several of the strength exercises had high activation of neck and shoulder muscles in women with chronic neck pain. These exercises can be used equally in the attempt to achieve a beneficial treatment effect on chronic neck muscle pain.

Patterns of neck muscle activation in cats during reflex and voluntary head movements

1992 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 361-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. A. Keshner ◽  
J. F. Baker ◽  
J. Banovetz ◽  
B. W. Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Neck Muscle

Isometric agonist and antagonist muscle activation interacts differently with 140 Hz tACS aftereffects at different intensities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasmine Rabah Shorafa ◽  
Islam Fawzy Halawa ◽  
Manuel Hewitt ◽  
Michael A. Nitsche ◽  
Andrea Antal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activation ◽  
State Dependency ◽  
Surround Inhibition ◽  
Dependent Relationship ◽  
State Dependent ◽  
Antagonist Muscles ◽  
Antagonistic Muscle ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Agonist And Antagonist ◽  
Agonist And Antagonist Muscles

Introduction: 1) During tES, increasing intracellular Ca2+ levels beyond those needed for inducing LTP may collapse aftereffects. 2) State-dependent plastic aftereffects are reduced when applied during muscle activation as compared to rest. 3) Cortical surround inhibition by antagonistic muscle activation inhibits the center-innervated agonist. Objectives: To determine the interaction of state dependency of tACS aftereffects at rest and under activation of agonist and antagonist muscles during stimulation with different intensities. Methods: In thirteen healthy participants, we measured MEP amplitudes before and after applying tACS at 140 Hz over the motor cortex in nine single-blinded sessions using sham, 1 mA and 2 mA stimulation intensities during rest and activation of agonist and antagonist muscles. Results: During rest, only 1 mA tACS produced a significant MEP increase, while the 2 mA stimulation produced no significant MEP size shift. During agonist activation 1 mA did not induce MEP changes, after 2 mA first a decrease and later an increase of MEPs were observed. Antagonist activation under sham tACS led to an inhibition, which was restored to baseline by 1 and 2 mA tACS. Conclusions: Increasing stimulation intensity beyond 1 mA does not increase excitability, compatible with too strong intracellular Ca2+increase. Antagonist innervation leads to MEP inhibition supporting the concept of surround inhibition, which can be overcome by tACS at both intensities. During agonist innervation a tACS dose dependent relationship exists. Significance: Our results integrate concepts of "leaky membranes" under activation, surround inhibition, intracellular Ca2+ increase and their role in the aftereffects of tACS.

Head Immobilization can Impair Jaw Function

2006 ◽  
Vol 85 (11) ◽  
pp. 1001-1005 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Häggman-Henrikson ◽  
E. Nordh ◽  
H. Zafar ◽  
P.-O. Eriksson
Keyword(s):  
Neck Muscles ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Myoelectric Activity ◽  
Neck Muscle ◽  
Head Fixation ◽  
Jaw Opening ◽  
Simultaneous Registration ◽  
Jaw Function ◽  
Mandibular Movements ◽  
Head Neck

Findings that jaw-opening/-closing relies on both mandibular and head movements suggest that jaw and neck muscles are jointly activated in jaw function. This study tested the hypothesis that rhythmic jaw activities involve an active repositioning of the head, and that head fixation can impair jaw function. Concomitant mandibular and head-neck movements were recorded during rhythmic jaw activities in 12 healthy adults, with and without fixation of the head. In four participants, the movement recording was combined with simultaneous registration of myoelectric activity in jaw and neck muscles. The results showed neck muscle activity during jaw opening with and without head fixation. Notably, head fixation led to reduced mandibular movements and shorter duration of jaw-opening/-closing cycles. The findings suggest recruitment of neck muscles in jaw activities, and that head fixation can impair jaw function. The results underline the jaw and neck neuromuscular relationship in jaw function.

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