title: Anticipatory neck muscle activity associated with rapid arm movements.
abstract: This study reveals the existence of a backward acceleration of the head prior to the onset of voluntary raising movements of the upper limb. This backward acceleration is produced by the displacement of the head-trunk as a whole. The anticipatory head movement is organized according to a sequence of activation and desactivation of the neck muscles, time locked with the anticipatory leg muscle activity. These findings highlight the existence of a complex postural behavior selected in advance of movement. It is proposed that the feedforward type of neural control of neck muscles should not be interpreted as a compensation to postural perturbation. This anticipatory process might play an important role in the widespread postural fixation of the cervical and dorsal spine.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physiologie Neurosensorielle, C.N.R.S., Paris, France.
authors.forename: V S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Gurfinkel
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Lipshits
authors.forename: F G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Lestienne
mesh_terms: D001132:Arm / Q000502:physiology; D004576:Electromyography; D006801:Humans; D009068:Movement; D009132:Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000502:physiology*