Hiroshi Toyama

Anticipatory activation of postural muscles associated with bilateral arm flexion in subjects with different quiet standing positions

We investigated changes in activation timing and magnitude of the postural muscles according to initial standing positions. The subjects were divided into three groups depending on the position of the center of foot pressure (CFP) during quiet standing, namely backward, middle, and forward. Subjects maintained standing postures at various CFP positions in the anteroposterior direction, and then started bilateral arm movement at their own pace. The activation magnitude of the biceps femoris (BF) and erector spinae (ES) did not differ among any of the initial CFP positions. In only the BF, the preceding action to the anterior deltoid (AD) was clearly observed at more forward CFP positions in the order of the forward, middle and backward groups. Between initial CFP positions adjacent to quiet standing posture, the smallest change was observed in the preceding activation time of the BF. Significant correlation was observed between the background activity and activation time in both the BF and ES.

Changes in saccadic reaction time while maintaining neck flexion in men and women.

Abstract We investigated changes in saccadic reaction time in relation to the degree of increase in activity of neck extensor muscles when neck flexion occurred, and assessed the reliability of the measurements. Saccadic reaction time was measured firstly, during neck flexion angles set at 5° increments from 0° (resting position) to 25°, with the chin either resting on a stand or not, and secondly, during shoulder girdle elevator muscles providing a relative muscle force of 30%, with the neck flexion angle maintained at 0° by having the subjects rest their chins on a stand. Saccadic reaction time was evaluated by the latency to the beginning of eye movement toward the lateral target, which was moved at random intervals in 20° amplitude jumps. Muscle activity in the trapezius muscle was evaluated using the mean amplitude of electromyogram recordings. Very high coefficients of reliability in muscle activity and saccadic reaction time were observed between the two sets of tests at 1-h intervals and also among the three trials with a 1-min rest. When their necks were flexed and the subjects rested their chins on a stand, muscle activity increased slightly in accordance with the enlargement of this angle, with no significant change in saccadic reaction time. With the chin not resting on the stand, muscle activity increased gradually, while the saccadic reaction time decreased to that obtained at an average neck flexion angle of 20°. However, the angle where the shortest reaction time was obtained showed considerable individual variation (5–25°). Activity in the trapezius muscle at a 20° neck flexion angle, with the chin not resting on the stand, was far less than that for 30% maximal voluntary contraction in shoulder girdle elevator muscles. Nevertheless, the saccadic reaction times were roughly equivalent under the two different sets of conditions. No sex differences were observed in terms of saccadic reaction time under any set of conditions.

Changes in muscle thickness of gastrocnemius and soleus associated with age and sex

Background and aims: Gastrocnemius and soleus in the triceps surae have functional and histological differences. We therefore investigated age-related changes in muscle thickness of these two muscles, as well as the difference in these changes between men and women. Methods: Participants comprised 847 healthy adults aged 20 to 79 years. A B-mode ultrasound scanner, with participants sitting on a chair, was used to measure muscle thickness from the midpoint of the gastrocnemius medialis muscle at the level of maximum girth (target point). The ratio of muscle thickness to height was calculated. The inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of measuring muscle thickness with the ultrasound scanner and the validity of the target point were demonstrated before the examination. Results: Gastrocnemius was significantly thinner in women aged 60 or older and in men aged 50 or older, compared with their counterparts in their 20s. For soleus, no significant differences in thickness were found among the age groups in either sex. Decline in muscle thickness from age 40–79 was greater for gastrocnemius than for soleus. Conclusions: These results confirm that gastrocnemius starts to deteriorate earlier and atrophies at a faster pace than soleus. A significant sex difference was found only in the onset age of gastrocnemius deterioration, which was earlier in men than in women.

Perceived standing position after reduction of foot-pressure sensation by cooling the sole.

We investigated the influence of the reduction of foot-pressure sensation by cooling the sole of the foot, at 1°C for 30 or 40 minutes, on the perception of standing position varied in the anteroposterior direction. The subjects were 16 healthy undergraduates. Firstly, for 4 of the subjects, cooling the sole of the foot decreased sensory information from the mechanoreceptors in the sole, by resting for an increase in the threshold for two-point discrepancy discrimination on the sole of the foot and for the disappearance of postural change with vibration to the sole. Next, the perception of standing position was measured by reproduction of a given standing reference position involving forward or backward leaning under both normal and cooled conditions of the feet. Standing position was varied in relation to the location of the center of foot pressure, defined as distance from the heel in percentage of the length of the foot. The reference positions, representing various locations of the center of foot pressure, were set at 10% increments from 20% to 80% of the length of the foot. With eyes closed, the subject first experienced the reference position and then attempted to reproduce it. The mean location of the center of foot pressure in the quiet standing posture was 45.7%. At the 40%, 50%, and 60% reference positions, those closest to quiet standing, absolute errors of reproduction were significantly larger than at other reference positions in both the normal and the cooled conditions. They were significantly larger in the cooled than in the normal condition. The 50% and 60% reference positions were reproduced significantly further forward in the cooled than in the normal condition. These results may be explained as due to an absence of marked changes in sensory information from both muscular activity and foot pressure when moving to reference positions close to the quiet standing posture.

Latency of saccadic eye movement during contraction of bilateral and unilateral shoulder girdle elevators

We compared the timed latencies of saccadic eye movement during isometric contraction of the bilateral and unilateral shoulder girdle elevators in a sitting posture. Muscle contraction force was increased in 10% increments from 0% to 60% of the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of each side. Saccadic latency was measured as the latency to the beginning of eye movement toward the lateral target that was moved at random intervals in 20° amplitude jumps. Eye movement was measured using the electro-oculogram technique. During bilateral contraction, saccadic latency decreased until 30% MVC and then began to increase at 40% MVC During unilateral contraction, saccadic latency decreased until 30% MVC in a similar pattern as in bilateral condition, was constant from 30% MVC to 50% MVC, followed by a slight increase at 60% MVC. The saccadic latencies at 10% and 40–60% MVC were significantly shorter during unilateral contraction than bilateral contraction. Thus, the relative force for producing a marked shortening of saccadic latency is observed within a wider range during unilateral contraction than bilateral contraction.

Modality of postural movement in men and women with both arms flexed during standing

We investigated postural movement associated with bilateral arm flexion in response to a light signal during standing in 179 healthy men and women to assess whether individual and sex differences are evident in the postural movement pattern. The following results were obtained, (a) A correlation of −.87 was noted between movement angles of the foot-leg and leg trunk, (b) Individual differences in movement angle were approximately twice as large in the hip joint as in the ankle and knee joints, and the movement angle of the leg trunk showed approximately half the number of extension as flexion movements, (c) The postural movement pattern was categorized on the basis of the movement angle of the foot-leg and leg-trunk into the following three patterns: hip flexion, backward leaning, and hip extension. The percentages of subjects showing these patterns were 59.2%, 33.5%, and 7.3%, respectively. (d) The inclination angle reflecting the righting response showed a gradual increase in size in the order of trunk, head, and neck. However, the righting response was not controlled precisely enough to enable subjects to maintain the inclination angle in a quiet standing posture, (e) We identified a significant sex difference in the relative frequency of subjects in the postural movement pattern.

STARTING POSITION OF MOVEMENT AND PERCEPTION OF ANGLE OF TRUNK FLEXION WHILE STANDING WITH EYES CLOSED

The present study attempted to investigate the effect of position on the perception of angle of trunk flexion while standing. For this purpose, the range effect was factored out by setting the constant target angle at 10°, with varied starting positions of trunk flexion. We found that subjects underestimated angle of trunk flexion when the starting position was close to a quiet standing posture, overestimated when close to maximum trunk flexion, and correctly perceived it when at the middle position. Less perceptual distortion was observed at the positions close to maximum trunk flexion in the present study than in our previous one, in which various target angles of trunk flexion were reproduced from a quiet standing posture. The reduced distortion in the present study was believed to have resulted from factoring out the range effect. The flexion angle of the hip joint changed in tandem with that of the trunk, while very little movement was observed in the ankle, knee, and neck joints. Judging from the changing pattern of hip-joint angle, the muscle activity of the erector Spinae and biceps femoris increased gradually to 90° trunk flexion. In contrast, the actual increment of muscle activity reached zero or a minimum value at the middle angles as the angle of trunk flexion increased. It was assumed that the abrupt change in kinesthetic information associated with muscle activity exerted a great influence on the perception of trunk flexion.

Perception of Large Change in Distribution of Heel Pressure during Backward Leaning

We investigated the perception of the large change in distribution of heel pressure during backward leaning. Subjects were 12 healthy adults who reported perceiving a large change in distribution of heel pressure by a handheld switch while leaning voluntarily backward on a sole pressure analyzer and on a heel force plate. The large change was indicated at the center of heel pressure. Morphological features of the foot were measured on an X-ray film. The position of heel pressure center and the morphological locations were represented as relative distance (%) from the hindmost point of the heel, where foot length represented 100%. Center of heel pressure changed largely during backward leaning, and the position at which large change occurred was the same as that of the peak of the distribution. Large change in distribution of heel pressure was perceived at a position 1.3% posterior from that at which the large change actually occurred. The correlation between perceived and actual positions was significant (r = .91). Significant correlations were found between position of a large change of center and locations of heel pressure of both the lateral process of the calcaneal tuberosity and the top of the talar trochlea (r = .86; r = .11, respectively). The results indicate that subjects accurately perceive large changes in distribution of heel pressure and that the morphological features of the foot contribute to these changes.

Dynamic Balance Training by Balance Board for the Elderly

Focusing attention on falls, a dynamic balance training program using a balance board was carried out by a group of elderly persons for 3 weeks. We investigated dynamic balance and physical fitness factors before and after training. The subjects included 54 young adults and 58 elderly persons. Of these, the number of subjects assigned to the training groups were 27 and 35, respectively. We measured balance when a horizontal board was quickly inclined; various physical fitness factors were expected to be closely related to balance ability. The following results were obtained: (1) The dynamic balance of elderly persons was remarkably inferior to that of young persons. (2) Balance board training had a considerable effect for elderly persons. (3) The only physical fitness factor which showed a significant change after training in all subject groups was the hip joint extension limit. In addition, training increased the muscle strength of plantar flexion in elderly men, and the percentage of body fat decreased in elderly women. (4) The physical fitness factors which showed a significant correlation to dynamic balance differed between men and women, and between the young and the elderly.