Limb position sense, proprioceptive drift and muscle thixotropy at the human elbow joint

When a blindfolded subject holds his or her arm at a particular angle, its reported position shifts over time; this is known as proprioceptive drift. Here, we show that in relation to position sense at the elbow, the direction of perceived shifts is consistent with adaptation in discharge levels of sensory receptors in elbow muscles. Raising or lowering receptor discharge levels by similar amounts in opposing muscles at the elbow using muscle conditioning abolishes proprioceptive drift, but large position errors may result. The present experiments provide an explanation for proprioceptive drift and indicate that, in a forearm position‐matching task, the brain is not concerned with actual discharge levels from arm muscles, but with their difference.

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