TY - JOUR
T1 - Exploring interlimb constraints during bimanual graphic performance
T2 - Effects of muscle grouping and direction
AU - Swinnen, Stephan P.
AU - Jardin, Kris
AU - Verschueren, Sabine
AU - Meulenbroek, Ruud
AU - Franz, Liz
AU - Dounskaia, N.
AU - Walter, C. B.
N1 - Funding Information:
Support for the present study was provided through a grant from the Research Council of K.U. Leuven, Belgium (Contract No. OT/94/30) and the National Fund for Scientific Research in Belgium (Project S 2/5-ND. E 112). Dr N. Dounskaia was supported by a fellowship from the Research Council of K.U. Leuven (Contract No. F/93/100). Requests for reprints should be send to S.P. Swinnen, Motor Control Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, FLOK, K.U. Leuven, Tervuurse Vest 101, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium.
PY - 1998/1
Y1 - 1998/1
N2 - Past studies on bimanual coordination have revealed a general preference to move the limbs in a symmetrical fashion, also denoted as the in-phase mode. Its counterpart, the asymmetrical or anti-phase mode, is performed with lower degrees of accuracy and stability. This ubiquitous tendency to activate the homologous muscle groups is referred to as the muscle grouping constraint (egocentric constraint). The present study confirmed the generalizability of this constraint across various coordination patterns, performed in the horizontal plane. In addition, evidence was generated that movement direction in extrinsic space also constrains bimanual coordination (allocentric constraint). Overall, the present observations suggest that direction is an important movement parameter that is encoded in the central nervous system and that is subject to interactions between the neural specifications of both limbs.
AB - Past studies on bimanual coordination have revealed a general preference to move the limbs in a symmetrical fashion, also denoted as the in-phase mode. Its counterpart, the asymmetrical or anti-phase mode, is performed with lower degrees of accuracy and stability. This ubiquitous tendency to activate the homologous muscle groups is referred to as the muscle grouping constraint (egocentric constraint). The present study confirmed the generalizability of this constraint across various coordination patterns, performed in the horizontal plane. In addition, evidence was generated that movement direction in extrinsic space also constrains bimanual coordination (allocentric constraint). Overall, the present observations suggest that direction is an important movement parameter that is encoded in the central nervous system and that is subject to interactions between the neural specifications of both limbs.
KW - Bimanual coordination
KW - Directional coding
KW - Drawing
KW - Hemisphere lateralization
KW - Interlimb constraints
KW - Spatial parameters
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0031934881&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0031934881&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0166-4328(97)00083-1
DO - 10.1016/S0166-4328(97)00083-1
M3 - Article
C2 - 9520215
AN - SCOPUS:0031934881
SN - 0166-4328
VL - 90
SP - 79
EP - 87
JO - Behavioural Brain Research
JF - Behavioural Brain Research
IS - 1
ER -