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Goal-directed modulation of stretch reflex gains is reduced in the non-dominant upper limb

View ORCID ProfileFrida Torell, View ORCID ProfileSae Franklin, View ORCID ProfileDavid W. Franklin, View ORCID ProfileMichael Dimitriou
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.11.30.518527
Frida Torell
1Physiology Section, Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå University, S-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
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Sae Franklin
2Neuromuscular Diagnostics, Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
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David W. Franklin
2Neuromuscular Diagnostics, Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
3Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI), Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
4Munich Data Science Institute (MDSI), Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
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Michael Dimitriou
1Physiology Section, Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå University, S-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
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  • For correspondence: michael.dimitriou@umu.se
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Abstract

Most individuals experience their dominant arm as being more dexterous than the non-dominant arm, but the neural mechanisms underlying this asymmetry in motor behaviour are unclear. Using a delayed reach task, it has recently been demonstrated that there is a strong goal-directed tuning of stretch reflex gains in the dominant upper limb of human participants. Here, we used an equivalent experimental paradigm to address the neural mechanisms that underlie the preparation for reaching movements with the non-dominant upper limb. We found only minor goal-directed differences in the short latency stretch reflex of the non-dominant limb. There were consistent effects of load, preparatory delay duration and target direction on the long latency stretch reflex. However, by comparing stretch reflex responses in the non-dominant arm with those previously documented in the dominant arm, we demonstrate that goal-directed tuning of short and long latency stretch reflexes is markedly weaker in the non-dominant limb. The results indicate that the motor performance asymmetries across the two upper limbs is partly due to the more sophisticated control of reflexive stiffness in the dominant limb, likely facilitated by the superior goal-directed control of muscle spindle receptors. Our findings therefore suggest that independent fusimotor control plays a role in determining performance of complex motor behaviours and support existing proposals that the dominant arm is better supplied for executing more complex tasks, such as trajectory control.

Significance Statement Most of us routinely rely on the dominant arm to perform more complex and demanding motor tasks. However, the mechanisms enabling the superior motor performance of the dominant limb are unclear. A better understanding of the motor asymmetry across the two arms might provide key insight into core sensorimotor principles. Here, we show that goal-directed tuning of short and long latency stretch reflexes in the non-dominant arm is markedly weaker than in the dominant arm. Our results highlight that the more sophisticated control of reflexive stiffness in the dominant limb, likely facilitated by superior fusimotor control, partly underpins the laterality of motor performance.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.
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Posted December 01, 2022.
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Goal-directed modulation of stretch reflex gains is reduced in the non-dominant upper limb
Frida Torell, Sae Franklin, David W. Franklin, Michael Dimitriou
bioRxiv 2022.11.30.518527; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.11.30.518527
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Goal-directed modulation of stretch reflex gains is reduced in the non-dominant upper limb
Frida Torell, Sae Franklin, David W. Franklin, Michael Dimitriou
bioRxiv 2022.11.30.518527; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.11.30.518527

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