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February 1, 2016, 1:00 pm, Room 1253, 555 14th St.
Title: Neuromuscular Control and Mechanical Properties of the Wrist Muscles during Stabilization Tasks
Student: Ellenor Brown
Committee Members: Jun Ueda PhD (Advisor), Minoru Shinohara PhD (Co-Advisor), Boris Prilutsky PhD, Lena Ting PhD, Thomas Burkholder PhD
Abstract:
The human hand represents 80% of arm function. Though the hand represents the vast majority of arm function, its function is highly dependent on the stability, control, and range of motion of the wrist joint -- up to 90% of hand function is lost with inadequate wrist positioning. The significance of wrist control to overall arm function motivates the proposed dissertation research. Wrist stabilization will be the primary focus. The overarching goal of the study is to understand the neuromuscular control and biomechanical properties of the wrist muscles for wrist stabilization. Aim 1 focuses on the neural strategy for co-activating a wrist flexor and extensor for wrist extension-flexion stabilization when extra afferent input is applied to the muscles. Aim 2 addresses modulation of reciprocal inhibition during co-activation of a flexor and extensor muscle working as synergists or agonists for wrist stabilization. Aim 3 develops an analysis method of muscle stiffness based on ultrasound elastography images toward estimating individual muscle force. The application of multiple forces and torques at the hand and the activity of several forearm muscles to maintain stability necessitated the development of a new method of capturing and analyzing individual muscle activity. The expected findings would enhance our understanding of the spinal and cortical control of wrist stabilization and provide an analysis method for capturing the activity and mechanical properties of the wrist muscles.
