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5 - Recording of electromyogram activity in the monkey during skilled grasping

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 December 2009

By
Thomas Brochier ,
Rachel L. Spinks ,
Maria A. Umilta  and
Roger N. Lemon
Edited by
Dennis A. Nowak  and
Joachim Hermsdörfer
Dennis A. Nowak
Affiliation:
Klinik Kipfenberg, Kipfenberg, Germany
Joachim Hermsdörfer
Affiliation:
Technical University of Munich
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Summary

Summary

This chapter provides a brief presentation of the available techniques for electromyogram (EMG) recordings in the awake monkey using chronically implanted electrodes. We illustrate how this technique can be used for the analysis of the monkey's motor behavior during dexterous grasp. We also investigate how the grasp specificity of EMG activity can be related to the activity of a population of pyramidal tract neurons (PTNs) recorded from the hand area of the primary motor cortex (M1).

Introduction

The ability to grasp and manipulate objects of various sizes and shapes is essential for a large range of human activities. The debilitating loss of skilled hand movements following stroke, spinal injury and many other pathological disorders results in a marked loss of autonomy for the affected patient. The characteristic structure of the human hand provides this organ with a unique combination of motor and sensory capacities that underpin the control of manual dexterity. The anatomy of the hand includes some 27 different bones, and some 39 different muscles located either in the forearm (extrinsic muscles) or in the hand itself (intrinsic muscles; Tubiana, 1981). Special features of bony structures in the hand contribute directly to dexterity, and are important for rotation of the human thumb during precision grip (Tallis, 2004). The muscular control of the multi-articulate hand presents some demanding biomechanical solutions.

Information

Type
Chapter
Information
Sensorimotor Control of Grasping
Physiology and Pathophysiology
 , pp. 61 - 71
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009

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References

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