The Role of Supporting Afferentation in the Formation of Muscle Synergies Patterns in Locomotion

The features of the spatial-temporal structuring of intermuscularinteraction during locomotion in conditions of full and partialunloading of body weight were studied. The extraction of musclesynergies was performed using the principal component analysis.It is established that the stability of muscle modules and stereotypicalpatterns of their temporary activation with varying degrees of afferentationare due to the implementation of motor synergy programs. It wasrevealed that only the presence, but not the power of the afferentflow from the receptor complex of the lower extremities makes asignificant contribution to the formation of inter-extremity synergeticpatterns and regulation of the degree of involvement of musclesin synergy. The formation of various time profiles in the structureof synergies is due to the redundancy of the organization of controlstructures, thanks to which reliable management of physiologicalfunctions is carried out. The implementation of synergy programsweakly depends on the magnitude and nature of proprioceptive andsupportive afferentation. Only the presence, but not the power,of the afferent flow from the receptor complex of the lower extremitiesmakes a significant contribution to the formation of interfacialsynergetic patterns and the regulation of the degree of muscle involvementin synergy.