Experience drives changes in the connections between neurons in the brain. This neuroplasticity is a fundamental property of the nervous system, critical for learning and memory, but also important for recovery from injury and development of some nervous system disorders. This study will improve understanding of how, with practice, the human brain adapts to functional demands in the development of motor skill. Musicians are used as exemplars of fine motor skill who show long-term experience-driv ....Experience drives changes in the connections between neurons in the brain. This neuroplasticity is a fundamental property of the nervous system, critical for learning and memory, but also important for recovery from injury and development of some nervous system disorders. This study will improve understanding of how, with practice, the human brain adapts to functional demands in the development of motor skill. Musicians are used as exemplars of fine motor skill who show long-term experience-driven plasticity in the brain. This study will provide specific and detailed quantitative information about how motor cortex circuits important for control of the hand are altered in musicians. The study will also improve understanding of basic mechanisms involved in short-term neuroplasticity associated with motor learning in musicians and non-musicians, and hemispheric or training-related differences in these properties which may contribute to different abilities to use the hand for fine motor tasks.Read moreRead less
Reflex Control Of Human Jaw Muscles By Periodontal Mechanoreceptors
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$405,173.00
Summary
An understanding of the functional connection between the jaw muscles and various receptor organs in and around the mouth is necessary to elucidate the process of chewing and its underlying rules. Unless the details of this functional connection in health and disease are thoroughly understood, the diagnosis and treatment of chewing related disorders will remain at the present state. For example: a We still do not know why chewing in edentulous subjects is less efficient and why the bite forces i ....An understanding of the functional connection between the jaw muscles and various receptor organs in and around the mouth is necessary to elucidate the process of chewing and its underlying rules. Unless the details of this functional connection in health and disease are thoroughly understood, the diagnosis and treatment of chewing related disorders will remain at the present state. For example: a We still do not know why chewing in edentulous subjects is less efficient and why the bite forces in these individuals immediately fall to about 20 % of the teethed value. Do jaw muscles in these subjects get weak because they get less support from the receptor organs around the teeth? a We still do not understand the cause-causes of the temporomandibular dysfunction (a painful disease involving jaw muscles) which forms 18.7 % of total dental patients consulted per week in South Australia. This South Australian study indicated that the current treatments (such as pain killers, night plates, massage) Ocures? only about the half of all patients. We cannot increase the success of the treatment if we do not fully understand the control mechanisms of chewing? It is expected that the results of this study will establish the functional connection between one of the most important receptor organs in the mouth (periodontal mechanoreceptors) to the jaw muscle motoneurons in subjects with healthy teeth and gums and will illustrate the importance of keeping the periodontium healthy for developing strong and smooth masticatory forces. This knowledge can also allow us to treat jaw related disorders by approaches that bring back normal operation of the system. For example, this knowledge may help us design active dentures that replace the missing support.Read moreRead less
Motor Unit Synchronisation And Neuromuscular Performance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$198,500.00
Summary
The fine control of force is important for many everyday tasks such as writing, grasping objects between index finger and thumb, and fastening buttons. Factors that influence the ability to control force include the coordinated activation of groups of muscle fibres called single motor units. This proposal focuses on the concept that the coordinated activation of motor units is influenced by muscle activity and can impair the ability to produce finely controlled muscle contractions. The goal of t ....The fine control of force is important for many everyday tasks such as writing, grasping objects between index finger and thumb, and fastening buttons. Factors that influence the ability to control force include the coordinated activation of groups of muscle fibres called single motor units. This proposal focuses on the concept that the coordinated activation of motor units is influenced by muscle activity and can impair the ability to produce finely controlled muscle contractions. The goal of these studies is to explore the boudary conditions of the adaptive nature of the nervous system to examine how coordinated motor unit activity influences these aspects of neuromuscular performance. The outcomes of these experiments will identify if altering muscle activity influences the control of movement by altering single motor unit activity. These results will have direct application to the interpretation of abnormal movement control and tremor that is observed in certain neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease. Furthermore, new information will be gained on the adaptability of the motor system and its role in the execution of fine motor tasks that may aid in the development of rehabilitation strategies following stroke or spinal cord injury.Read moreRead less