Head Movements in Flies (Calliphora) Produced by Deflexion of the Halteres

1. The heads of resting flies will twitch to the side if the haltere is deflected rapidly forwards. Head movements are always away from the stimulated haltere and do not occur if the haltere is deflected up, down or backwards. 2. The anatomy and action of the neck muscles is described. 3. Cobalt fills of the whole haltere nerve show that the sensory axons project to the neuropiles of the ipsi- and contralateral pro- and mesothoracic neuropiles, to the ipsilateral metathoracic neuropiles and to the cerebral ganglion. 4. Cobalt fills of the nerves to the neck muscles and from the prosternal organs show that the central projections of these nerves end in the ipsilateral prothoracic neuropile. 5. Recordings from the motoneurones to the neck muscles show that they are phasically activated by forward deflexion of the halteres after a latency of 2.5–3 ms. Spikes in the motoneurones follow the vibration of the haltere, one to one, up to 200 Hz. 6. Recordings from the ipsilateral mesothoracic wing nerve (N. alae) show two large units which respond after a 2.5–3 ms latency to forward deflexion of the halteres. 7. Behavioural observations of walking flies show that the presence or absence of halteres has a small but nevertheless significant effect on the animals' ability to detect angular accelerations during walking or to orient with respect to gravity.

Download Full-text

The Role of the cut Gene in the Specification of Central Projections by Sensory Axons in Drosophila

Neuron ◽

10.1016/0896-6273(93)90174-p ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 741-752 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

David J. Merritt ◽

Andrew Hawken ◽

Paul M. Whitington

Keyword(s):

Central Projections ◽

Sensory Axons

Download Full-text

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

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.2002.88.4.2000 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 88 (4) ◽

pp. 2000-2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 64

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.

Download Full-text

The effect of muscle-tone-reducing procedures in athetotic head movements: partial nerve block by lidocaine and surgical release of the neck muscles

Clinical Neurophysiology ◽

10.1016/s1388-2457(99)00066-8 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 110 (7) ◽

pp. 1308-1314

Author(s):

K Saiki ◽

N Tsuzuki ◽

R Tanaka

Keyword(s):

Nerve Block ◽

Muscle Tone ◽

Neck Muscles ◽

Head Movements ◽

Surgical Release

Download Full-text

Persistent larval sensory neurones are required for the normal development of the adult sensory afferent projections inDrosophila

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.129.3.617 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 129 (3) ◽

pp. 617-624

Author(s):

Darren W. Williams ◽

David Shepherd

Keyword(s):

Axon Guidance ◽

Normal Development ◽

Axon Growth ◽

Central Projections ◽

Sensory Neurones ◽

Afferent Projections ◽

Sensory Axons ◽

Growth Guidance

We have tested the hypothesis that larval neurones guide growth of adult sensory axons in Drosophila. We show that ablation of larval sensory neurones causes defects in the central projections of adult sensory neurones. Spiralling axons and ectopic projections indicate failure in axon growth guidance. We show that larval sensory neurones are required for peripheral pathfinding, entry into the CNS and growth guidance within the CNS. Ablation of subsets of neurones shows that larval sensory neurones serve specific guidance roles. Dorsal neurones are required for axon guidance across the midline, whereas lateral neurones are required for posterior growth. We conclude that larval sensory neurones pioneer the assembly of sensory arrays in adults.

Download Full-text

Head Immobilization can Impair Jaw Function

Journal of Dental Research ◽

10.1177/154405910608501105 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 85 (11) ◽

pp. 1001-1005 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

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.

Download Full-text

Electromyography of Superficial and Deep Neck Muscles During Isometric, Voluntary, and Reflex Contractions

Journal of Biomechanical Engineering ◽

10.1115/1.2401185 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 129 (1) ◽

pp. 66-77 ◽

Cited By ~ 49

Author(s):

Gunter P. Siegmund ◽

Jean-Sébastien Blouin ◽

John R. Brault ◽

Sofia Hedenstierna ◽

J. Timothy Inglis

Keyword(s):

Neck Muscles ◽

Head Movements ◽

Isometric Contractions ◽

Data Sets ◽

Electromyographic Activity ◽

Complex Data ◽

Force Direction ◽

Complex Data Sets ◽

Splenius Capitis ◽

Muscle Activations

Increasingly complex models of the neck neuromusculature need detailed muscle and kinematic data for proper validation. The goal of this study was to measure the electromyographic activity of superficial and deep neck muscles during tasks involving isometric, voluntary, and reflexively evoked contractions of the neck muscles. Three male subjects (28-41years) had electromyographic (EMG) fine wires inserted into the left sternocleidomastoid, levator scapulae, trapezius, splenius capitis, semispinalis capitis, semispinalis cervicis, and multifidus muscles. Surface electrodes were placed over the left sternohyoid muscle. Subjects then performed: (i) maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs) in the eight directions (45deg intervals) from the neutral posture; (ii) 50N isometric contractions with a slow sweep of the force direction through 720deg; (iii) voluntary oscillatory head movements in flexion and extension; and (iv) initially relaxed reflex muscle activations to a forward acceleration while seated on a sled. Isometric contractions were performed against an overhead load cell and movement dynamics were measured using six-axis accelerometry on the head and torso. In all three subjects, the two anterior neck muscles had similar preferred activation directions and acted synergistically in both dynamic tasks. With the exception of splenius capitis, the posterior and posterolateral neck muscles also showed consistent activation directions and acted synergistically during the voluntary motions, but not during the sled perturbations. These findings suggest that the common numerical-modeling assumption that all anterior muscles act synergistically as flexors is reasonable, but that the related assumption that all posterior muscles act synergistically as extensors is not. Despite the small number of subjects, the data presented here can be used to inform and validate a neck model at three levels of increasing neuromuscular–kinematic complexity: muscles generating forces with no movement, muscles generating forces and causing movement, and muscles generating forces in response to induced movement. These increasingly complex data sets will allow researchers to incrementally tune their neck models’ muscle geometry, physiology, and feedforward/feedback neuromechanics.

Download Full-text

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

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.90363.2008 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 100 (3) ◽

pp. 1677-1685 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

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.

Download Full-text