Nervous system control of leg movements: Research offers insights

These findings could aid in directing rehabilitation in stroke patients as well as the design of artificial, or prosthetic, legs.

The research team of Sasha N. Zill, Ph.D., and Sumaiya Chaudhry, in collaboration with Chris J. Dallmann, Ph.D., and Josef Schmitz, Ph.D, at Bielefeld University and Ansgar Büschges, Ph.D., at the University of Cologne, applied forces and joint torques to the legs of stick insects to determine their impact on muscle activation. Their findings were published on July 18, 2018, in the Journal of Neurophysiology.

"Our research shows that dynamic signals from sense organs that detect changes in load are critical in producing normal leg movements," said Zill, senior author and professor of anatomy in the department of biomedical sciences at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. "Current prosthetic devices for leg amputees incorporate sensors and microprocessors to regulate joint stiffness. The new findings suggest mechanisms for making these joints more adaptable, permitting more natural leg movements."

This research was supported by a pilot grant from the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute.