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Using factor analysis to identify neuromuscular synergies during treadmill walkingNeuroscientists are often interested in grouping variables to facilitate understanding of a particular phenomenon. Factor analysis is a powerful statistical technique that groups variables into conceptually meaningful clusters, but remains underutilized by neuroscience researchers presumably due to its complicated concepts and procedures. This paper illustrates an application of factor analysis to identify coordinated patterns of whole-body muscle activation during treadmill walking. Ten male subjects walked on a treadmill (6.4 km/h) for 20 s during which surface electromyographic (EMG) activity was obtained from the left side sternocleidomastoid, neck extensors, erector spinae, and right side biceps femoris, rectus femoris, tibialis anterior, and medial gastrocnemius. Factor analysis revealed 65% of the variance of seven muscles sampled aligned with two orthogonal factors, labeled 'transition control' and 'loading'. These two factors describe coordinated patterns of muscular activity across body segments that would not be evident by evaluating individual muscle patterns. The results show that factor analysis can be effectively used to explore relationships among muscle patterns across all body segments to increase understanding of the complex coordination necessary for smooth and efficient locomotion. We encourage neuroscientists to consider using factor analysis to identify coordinated patterns of neuromuscular activation that would be obscured using more traditional EMG analyses.
Document ID
20040172594
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Merkle, L. A.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX United States)
Layne, C. S.
Bloomberg, J. J.
Zhang, J. J.
Date Acquired
August 22, 2013
Publication Date
August 1, 1998
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of neuroscience methods
Volume: 82
Issue: 2
ISSN: 0165-0270
Subject Category
Life Sciences (General)
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
NASA Center JSC
NASA Discipline Neuroscience
Clinical Trial
Non-NASA Center
NASA Discipline Musculoskeletal

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