Plasticity of muscle synergies through fractionation and merging during development and training of human runners

Vincent C. K. Cheung; Ben M. F. Cheung; Janet H. Zhang; Zoe Y. S. Chan; Sophia C. W. Ha; Chao-Ying Chen; Roy T. H. Cheung

doi:10.1038/s41467-020-18210-4

journal article Open Access Aug 31, 2020

Plasticity of muscle synergies through fractionation and merging during development and training of human runners

Vincent C. K. Cheung

Ben M. F. Cheung

Janet H. Zhang

Zoe Y. S. Chan

Sophia C. W. Ha Chao-Ying Chen

Roy T. H. Cheung

Nature Communications Vol. 11 No. 1 · Springer Science and Business Media LLC

View at Publisher Save 10.1038/s41467-020-18210-4

Abstract

AbstractComplex motor commands for human locomotion are generated through the combination of motor modules representable as muscle synergies. Recent data have argued that muscle synergies are inborn or determined early in life, but development of the neuro-musculoskeletal system and acquisition of new skills may demand fine-tuning or reshaping of the early synergies. We seek to understand how locomotor synergies change during development and training by studying the synergies for running in preschoolers and diverse adults from sedentary subjects to elite marathoners, totaling 63 subjects assessed over 100 sessions. During development, synergies are fractionated into units with fewer muscles. As adults train to run, specific synergies coalesce to become merged synergies. Presences of specific synergy-merging patterns correlate with enhanced or reduced running efficiency. Fractionation and merging of muscle synergies may be a mechanism for modifying early motor modules (Nature) to accommodate the changing limb biomechanics and influences from sensorimotor training (Nurture).

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Published: Aug 31, 2020
Vol/Issue: 11(1)
License: View

Authors

2School of Physical Therapy, Graduate Institute of Rehabilitation Science, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; 3Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong

R

Roy T. H. Cheung

Funding

Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee Award: 24115318

Hong Kong Polytechnic University Award: n/a

Chinese University of Hong Kong Award: FIA2016/A/04

Cite This Article

Vincent C. K. Cheung, Ben M. F. Cheung, Janet H. Zhang, et al. (2020). Plasticity of muscle synergies through fractionation and merging during development and training of human runners. Nature Communications, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18210-4

Plasticity of muscle synergies through fractionation and merging during development and training of human runners

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