Monica Aksamit Kines 360 Extra Credit Paper 5/3/2011 During Dr.

Krams lecture about the story of Oscar Pistorious, we learn that he is a congenital, below the knee amputee. A scientific term for this type of amputee is Trans-Tibial. Being a bilateral amputee, its quite obvious that there are significant differences between Oscar Pistorious and a non-amputee person, the question is what they are. After taking Neuroscience for an entire semester, Ive grasped a general knowledge of how the body and brain work together to carry out day-to-day tasks. There are several mechanisms that I have been introduced to that would be affected in the Pistorious scenario. In order to answer the question of what is different between a bilateral amputee and a normal person, several concepts must be understood. First, how proprioception and brainstem mechanisms differ between able-bodied and amputee athletes. Secondly, the sensorimotor system must be explained and its relationship with the proprioception mechanism. Thirdly, is how the process of initiation and performance of voluntary running occurs. These systems must be explained before an amputee and an ablebodied person be properly compared.
Proprioceptive information is a source of sensory information is necessary for optimal and efficient motor performance. Two types or receptors are involved in this mechanism. The first is muscle

spindles made up of group Ia and group II afferents. Both of these are located in intrafusal fibers and are responsible for detecting muscle stretch. The other receptor is Golgi tendon organs, also known as group IIb afferent. Group IIb afferent are sensitive to changes in force in the muscle, and are found in the extrafusal muscle fibers. In the Pistorious situation, because his legs are amputated from the knee down, he wouldnt have any proprioceptive input from his lower legs. Since we are discussing a Trans-Tibial amputee, we know that he doesnt have nerves or muscles like the Tibialis Anterior or Gastrocnemius. Without these muscles, neither proprioceptive receptors would be present. A way that this would relate to the story of Pistorious is if he would misstep while running. Knowing now that he has less proprioceptors than a normal person, it makes sense that he would struggle more to maintain his balance. Due to this, it would be more likely that he would fall, as opposed to a mere stumble. Another aspect related to the topic is the sensorimotor system. Proprioception and the sensorimotor system are related to one another. The sensorimotor system describes mechanisms involved with the conversion of a stimulus to a neural signal, along with the transmission of the signal via the afferent pathways to the central nervous system (CNS). It also describes processing and integration of the signal by the various centers of the CNS and central pattern generators, as well as the motor responses resulting in muscle activation for locomotion and the performance of voluntary tasks. In the sensorimotor system, afferent, efferent and central integration and processing are incorporated. Visual and vestibular inputs also play a role, however the most significant role is played by the peripheral mechanoreceptors. These reside in the cutaneous, muscular, joint, ligament tissues. A bilateral amputee would actually benefit because of this. Not having lower-leg muscles or nerves means that he would essentially have less neural work to do. Why this is a positive thing will be explained later. There is a lot involved in the initiation and performance of voluntary running. Before a movement can be initiated, an idea must be present, followed by planning of the movement, and then it can finally be executed. As stated, the actual idea would be the first step. This would occur in the posterior parietal cortex and anterior frontal areas. The next step would be to plan, which happens in supplementary motor area and premotor areas. Following this would be the

actual action of running. The execution requires the cooperation of several structures, such as the primary somatosensory cortex, brainstem, cerebellum, basal ganglia, spinal and both the primary and premotor motor cortex. This process can be explained in even greater detail. It would begin in the basal ganglia which is responsible for gating proper initiation of movement. This means that it initiates wanted movement, and suppresses unwanted movement. Information from here would be sent to the motor cortex which would plan, initiate and direct voluntary movements. Simultaneously with the basal ganglia, the cerebellum would be working in the correction and coordination of the ongoing movement. From here, this information would travel to the brainstem which is known for postural control, as well as balance. Information from both the motor cortex and brainstem would enter the lower circuitry. This is found in the spinal cord and brainstem circuits and is made up of sensory inputs, local circuit neurons and motor neuron pools. Local circuit neurons are responsible for mediating interactions between sensory and motor systems. Local circuit neurons are most commonly referred to as interneurons. These interneurons are located in the gray matter and are highly excitable. Last but not least, motor neuron pools are made up of motor neurons known as alpha-motor neurons, and gamma-motor neurons. These motor neurons are significant in the reflexive control of muscle activity. The stretch reflex is a circuit with connections between sensory fibers that begin in muscle spindles and the alpha-motor neurons that innervate the same muscles. Gamma motor neurons regulate the stretch reflex by adjusting the level of tension in the intrafusal muscle fibers of the muscle spindle. This mechanism helps to regulate muscle length and tone. As already stated, if Oscar has less muscles to activate, he also has less neural work to do. Based off of this, it would make sense that he would also have less neural fatigue than an able-bodied runner. This would mean that he has more energy and therefore is able to put in more speed and force, thus allowing him to perform better. Interneurons receive information from three areas: brainstem, motor cortex, and sensory inputs. Once it completes the process of integration, it sends this information to the motor neuron pools. From here, these lower motor neurons relay their information onto the skeletal muscles. Another aspect that is crucial for the performance of voluntary running is the central pattern generator. CPGs are defined as neural networks that can produce rhythmic patterned outputs, without rhythmic sensory or central input. Much of the spatial coordination and timing of muscle activation required for complex rhythmic movements, such as locomotion are provided by the CPGs. Its possible that because he is an amputee, that Pistoriouss CPG doesnt work as well as it does in a normal person. Its even more likely that it doesnt work the same way. It may also be possible that he could have adapted to his new body over time. In summary, Pistorious differs from an able-bodied person in more than one way. First, he lacks proprioception in his lower limbs due to the lack of those nerves and muscles. As a result, his ability to maintain balance is negatively connected. However, this simultaneously works in a positive way, because he has less neural work to do. Less neural work means that there is energy conservation, which can be used in other ways. This means that Pistorious can use more force when he pushes off, or even be able to maintain the same speed for a longer amount of time. Also, without complete limbs, its also quite possible that his CPGs may be affected in some way, and potentially in an adaptive way.