Alterations in the preferred direction of individual arm muscle activation after stroke

IntroductionStroke survivors have challenges appropriately coordinating the multiple muscles, resulting in a deficit in motor control. Therefore, comprehending the mechanism underlying abnormal intermuscular coordination becomes crucial in developing effective rehabilitation strategies. Quantitative...

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Main Authors: Yoon No G. Hong, Jinsook Roh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-09-01
Series:Frontiers in Neurology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1280276/full
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author Yoon No G. Hong
Jinsook Roh
author_facet Yoon No G. Hong
Jinsook Roh
author_sort Yoon No G. Hong
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionStroke survivors have challenges appropriately coordinating the multiple muscles, resulting in a deficit in motor control. Therefore, comprehending the mechanism underlying abnormal intermuscular coordination becomes crucial in developing effective rehabilitation strategies. Quantitative analyses have been employed at pairwise or multi-dimensional levels to understand the underlying mechanism of abnormal intermuscular coordination and its relationship to motor impairment. However, how alterations in individual muscle activation contribute to abnormal intermuscular coordination, motor impairment, and motor performance remains unclear. Thus, we investigated the alterations in the preferred direction of individual muscles after stroke and their relationship with stroke-induced changes in intermuscular coordination, clinical motor impairment, and qualities of motor performance during isometric force generation in the upper extremity.MethodsTwenty-four stroke survivors and six age-matched controls were recruited and performed isometric force target matches while recording electromyographic signals from eight upper limb muscles. We determined the preferred activation direction of each muscle, evaluated abnormal intermuscular coordination through a muscle synergy analysis, assessed motor impairment using upper extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment scores, and examined motor performance characteristics defined by force trajectory features.ResultsThe post-stroke alterations in the preferred direction of the brachioradialis, anterior, middle, and posterior deltoid were correlated with the motor impairment level and attributed to the changes in muscle synergy characteristics. Only alterations in the preferred direction of the brachioradialis and posterior deltoid activation in forward-backward and upward-downward axes were associated with the qualities of isometric force generation, respectively.DiscussionThese findings imply that alterations in the preferred direction of individual muscle activation contribute to various aspects of motor deficit following stroke. This insight may serve as a foundation for the development of innovative stroke neurorehabilitation approaches that take into account specific attributes of individual muscle activation, including their preferred activation direction.
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spelling doaj.art-15324d35d6a34b3186362e95ada4dc892023-09-22T12:41:22ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neurology1664-22952023-09-011410.3389/fneur.2023.12802761280276Alterations in the preferred direction of individual arm muscle activation after strokeYoon No G. HongJinsook RohIntroductionStroke survivors have challenges appropriately coordinating the multiple muscles, resulting in a deficit in motor control. Therefore, comprehending the mechanism underlying abnormal intermuscular coordination becomes crucial in developing effective rehabilitation strategies. Quantitative analyses have been employed at pairwise or multi-dimensional levels to understand the underlying mechanism of abnormal intermuscular coordination and its relationship to motor impairment. However, how alterations in individual muscle activation contribute to abnormal intermuscular coordination, motor impairment, and motor performance remains unclear. Thus, we investigated the alterations in the preferred direction of individual muscles after stroke and their relationship with stroke-induced changes in intermuscular coordination, clinical motor impairment, and qualities of motor performance during isometric force generation in the upper extremity.MethodsTwenty-four stroke survivors and six age-matched controls were recruited and performed isometric force target matches while recording electromyographic signals from eight upper limb muscles. We determined the preferred activation direction of each muscle, evaluated abnormal intermuscular coordination through a muscle synergy analysis, assessed motor impairment using upper extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment scores, and examined motor performance characteristics defined by force trajectory features.ResultsThe post-stroke alterations in the preferred direction of the brachioradialis, anterior, middle, and posterior deltoid were correlated with the motor impairment level and attributed to the changes in muscle synergy characteristics. Only alterations in the preferred direction of the brachioradialis and posterior deltoid activation in forward-backward and upward-downward axes were associated with the qualities of isometric force generation, respectively.DiscussionThese findings imply that alterations in the preferred direction of individual muscle activation contribute to various aspects of motor deficit following stroke. This insight may serve as a foundation for the development of innovative stroke neurorehabilitation approaches that take into account specific attributes of individual muscle activation, including their preferred activation direction.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1280276/fullpreferred directionmuscle synergymotor impairmentqualities of motor performancestrokeisometric
spellingShingle Yoon No G. Hong
Jinsook Roh
Alterations in the preferred direction of individual arm muscle activation after stroke
Frontiers in Neurology
preferred direction
muscle synergy
motor impairment
qualities of motor performance
stroke
isometric
title Alterations in the preferred direction of individual arm muscle activation after stroke
title_full Alterations in the preferred direction of individual arm muscle activation after stroke
title_fullStr Alterations in the preferred direction of individual arm muscle activation after stroke
title_full_unstemmed Alterations in the preferred direction of individual arm muscle activation after stroke
title_short Alterations in the preferred direction of individual arm muscle activation after stroke
title_sort alterations in the preferred direction of individual arm muscle activation after stroke
topic preferred direction
muscle synergy
motor impairment
qualities of motor performance
stroke
isometric
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1280276/full
work_keys_str_mv AT yoonnoghong alterationsinthepreferreddirectionofindividualarmmuscleactivationafterstroke
AT jinsookroh alterationsinthepreferreddirectionofindividualarmmuscleactivationafterstroke