1. The ability of eleven normal subjects to match the position of the proximal interphalangeal joints was tested. The right index finger (target finger) was moved to a given position and the subject was required to match this with the left index finger (matching finger). 2. Digital nerve block of the matching finger resulted in substantial impairment in matching performance in seven out of eight subjects. 3. Anaesthesia of the target finger in two subjects also produced obvious position matching deficit, in a pattern consistent with subjective sensation of target finger position. 4. The effects of digital nerve block were specific, as neither injection of saline into the matching finger, nor anaesthesia of adjacent fingers, impaired performance. 5. In one subject, injection of local anaesthetic into the synovial cavity of the matching finger also resulted in impairment of matching performance, indicating that articular receptors contribute to position sense at this joint. 6. Passive displacement of the matching finger did not produce significantly greater errors than those occurring with active finger positioning either under control conditions or during digital nerve block of the matching finger. 7. Although digital nerve block produced substantial impairment of matching performance, there was not complete loss of proprioceptive sensation, suggesting that muscle receptors also contribute. This was confirmed in experiments where isotonic loading of the matching finger while it was anaesthetized resulted in significant alteration in matching performance compared to anaesthesia alone. 8. It is concluded that no one source of afferent input can be excluded from contributing to proprioception at the index finger. It is likely that under different operating conditions several afferent sources are required to provide optimal proprioceptive resolution.
[1]
K. Browne,et al.
The sensation of passive movement at the metatarso‐phalangeal joint of the great toe in man
,
1954
.
[2]
K. A. Provins,et al.
The effect of peripheral nerve block on the appreciation and execution of finger movements
,
1958,
The Journal of physiology.
[3]
J. Paillard,et al.
Active and passive movements in the calibration of position sense
,
1968
.
[4]
D. McCloskey,et al.
The contribution of muscle afferents to kinaesthesia shown by vibration induced illusions of movement and by the effects of paralysing joint afferents.
,
1972,
Brain : a journal of neurology.
[5]
D. McCloskey,et al.
Joint sense, muscle sense, and their combination as position sense, measured at the distal interphalangeal joint of the middle finger.
,
1976,
The Journal of physiology.
[6]
D. McCloskey.
Kinesthetic sensibility.
,
1978,
Physiological reviews.
[7]
F. J. Clark,et al.
Contributions of cutaneous and joint receptors to static knee-position sense in man.
,
1979,
Journal of neurophysiology.
[8]
W. Rymer,et al.
Joint position sense: the effects of muscle contraction.
,
1980,
Brain : a journal of neurology.
[9]
P. Matthews.
Where does Sherrington's "muscular sense" originate? Muscles, joints, corollary discharges?
,
1982,
Annual review of neuroscience.
[10]
The effect of digital nerve block on position sense at the proximal interphalangeal joint of the human index finger
,
1987,
Brain Research.
[11]
D. McCloskey,et al.
The role of joint receptors in human kinaesthesia when intramuscular receptors cannot contribute.
,
1987,
The Journal of physiology.