Dynamics of Postural Control During Precision Manual Activity

University Of Cincinnati Main Campus, Cincinnati OH

Investigators

Abstract

Dynamics of Postural Control During Precision Manual Activity Michael Riley (PI) & Kevin Shockley (Co-PI) Abstract The control of standing balance is fundamental to other behaviors people perform, such as the precise hand movements performed by surgeons or artists. Since standing upright requires placing the body in an unstable state, and because the neuromuscular system is highly complex and "noisy," the body's center of mass constantly fluctuates when a person stands (termed postural sway). Postural sway is transmitted to the hands and can thus hinder manual performance (imagine trying to thread a needle while standing on one foot). The purpose of this proposal is to determine how postural control is modulated when people perform the precision manual action of lightly touching a surface with a fingertip. The research will identify the adaptive postural dynamics associated with integrating postural control and precision manual actions. Experiments are planned in which postural stability and the demands of a fingertip force-production task are varied. The variability and temporal dynamics of postural sway are expected to be precisely tuned to the demands of the touching task under conditions in which balance is not threatened, but threats to postural stability are expected to limit the extent to which postural control is adapted to the manual task. The research will shed light on fundamental mechanisms of balance control and will also have important applications to physical rehabilitation and efforts to develop fall-prevention programs.