Effect on somatosensory function of different muscle contraction strengths

Abstract

This study examined the effects of a task of modulating different voluntary contraction strengths on somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP). The subjects were seven healthy adults (age 24.0 ± 3.0 years). SEPs were recorded at rest and during three motor tasks. The motor tasks consisted of palmar abduction of the right thumb in the palmar abduction position, which was adjusted to 5%, 10% and 20% of the maximum voluntary contraction strength using visual feedback. The results showed that there was no difference in SEP amplitude between resting and each task. The task of self-regulating contraction intensity may not decrease the amount of sensory input regardless of the contraction intensity.