Abstract

Historically, research aimed at improving motor performance has largely focused on the neural processes involved in motor execution due to their role in muscle activation. However, accompanying somatosensory and proprioceptive sensory information is also vitally involved in performing motor skills. Here we review research from interdisciplinary fields to provide a description for how somatosensation informs the successful performance of motor skills as well as emphasize the need for careful selection of study methods to isolate the neural processes involved in somatosensory perception. We also discuss upcoming strategies of intervention that have been used to improve performance via somatosensory targets. We believe that a greater appreciation for somatosensation’s role in motor learning and control will enable researchers and practitioners to develop and apply methods for the enhancement of human performance that will benefit clinical, healthy, and elite populations alike.

摘要

从历史上看，旨在提高运动表现的研究主要集中在参与运动执行的神经过程上，因为它们在肌肉激活中发挥着作用。然而，伴随的体感和本体感觉信息也与执行运动技能密切相关。在这里，我们回顾了跨学科领域的研究，以描述体感如何影响运动技能的成功表现，并强调需要仔细选择研究方法来分离体感知觉所涉及的神经过程。我们还讨论了即将推出的干预策略，这些策略已用于通过体感目标提高表现。我们相信，对体感在运动学习和控制中的作用的更多认识将使研究人员和从业者能够开发和应用增强人类表现的方法，这将有利于临床、健康和精英人群。