[Reports] Agonist-antagonist myoneural interface amputation preserves proprioceptive sensorimotor neurophysiology in lower limbs
The brain undergoes marked changes in function and functional connectivity after limb amputation. The agonist-antagonist myoneural interface (AMI) amputation is a procedure that restores physiological agonist-antagonist muscle relationships responsible for proprioceptive sensory feedback to enable greater motor control. We compared results from the functional neuroimaging of individuals (n = 29) with AMI amputation, traditional amputation, and no amputation. Individuals with traditional amputation demonstrated a significant decrease in proprioceptive activity, measured by activation of Brodmann area 3a, whereas functional activation in individuals with AMIs was not significantly different from controls with no amputation (P < 0.05). The degree of proprioceptive activity in the brain strongly correlated with fascicle activity in the peripheral muscles and performance on motor tasks (P < 0.05), supporting the mechanistic basis of the AMI procedure. These results suggest that surgical techniques designed to restore proprioceptive peripheral neuromuscular constructs result in desirable central sensorimotor plasticity.
Source: Science Translational Medicine - Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Srinivasan, S. S., Tuckute, G., Zou, J., Gutierrez-Arango, S., Song, H., Barry, R. L., Herr, H. M. Tags: Reports Source Type: research