Independent control of the digits: changes in perceived heaviness over a wide range of force
✍ Scribed by S. L. Kilbreath; S. C. Gandevia
- Publisher
- Springer-Verlag
- Year
- 1992
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 433 KB
- Volume
- 91
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0014-4819
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Perceived heaviness of a weight lifted by flexion of the distal joint of one digit increases when an adjacent digit concurrently lifts a weight. The present study confirmed this finding for relatively low weights (representing 3-5% maximal voluntary force) and a method was adapted to show that this effect occurs for much larger weights (20-25% maximal force). Thus, the increase in perceived heaviness is likely to operate over a wide range of muscle force generated by the hand. As perceived heaviness is biased by the magnitude of the central motor commands, these findings may reflect a lack of complete independence of motor commands to the long flexor muscles acting on the digits.