Proprioceptive feedback refers to the sensory information that our body receives regarding the position, movement, and orientation of our body parts. It is a crucial component of our overall perception and awareness of our body in space. This feedback allows us to have a sense of where our body is located, how it is moving, and how our limbs are positioned without having to visually observe them.
Proprioception is mediated by specialized receptors known as proprioceptors, which are found in muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints. These proprioceptors detect changes in muscle length, muscle tension, joint angles, and joint pressure. They provide constant input to the central nervous system, particularly the brain and spinal cord, enabling us to have a continuous sense of our body's position and movement.
Examples of proprioceptors
- the muscle spindle located within skeletal muscles, responds to changes in muscle length. When a muscle is stretched or contracted, the muscle spindle sends signals to the CNS, providing information about the degree and speed of muscle stretch. This information helps the brain monitor and control muscle activity, contributing to coordinated movement.
- Golgi tendon organ, located at the junction between muscles and tendons, responds to changes in muscle tension or force exerted on the tendon. When muscle tension increases, the Golgi tendon organ detects this change and sends signals to the central nervous system, allowing for adjustments in muscle force and preventing excessive muscle contraction.
- Joint receptors found in the capsules and ligaments surrounding joints, detect changes in joint position and movement. There are different types of joint receptors, including Ruffini corpuscles, Pacinian corpuscles, and free nerve endings, each specialized for different aspects of joint movement. These receptors provide information about joint angles, joint velocity, and joint pressure, allowing for precise control of limb movements.
Proprioceptive feedback is integrated with other sensory information, such as visual and vestibular input, to provide a comprehensive perception of body position and movement. The brain combines these different sensory inputs to create a coherent representation of the body in space, known as body schema.
Research has shown that proprioception plays a vital role in motor control, coordination, and balance. Impairments in proprioceptive feedback can lead to difficulties in performing precise movements, maintaining balance, and coordinating multiple body parts. For example, individuals with certain neurological conditions or injuries affecting proprioceptive pathways may experience problems with coordination and a reduced awareness of their body's position, potentially leading to increased risk of falls or accidents.
Proprioceptive feedback has been studied in the context of Autism to understand its potential role in the motor impairments and sensory processing differences and altered personal space.
Citations around Proprioceptive Feedback
Proske U, Gandevia SC. The Proprioceptive Senses: Their Roles in Signaling Body Shape, Body Position and Movement, and Muscle Force. Physiol Rev. 2012;92(4):1651-1697. doi:10.1152/physrev.00048.2011
Gandevia SC, McCloskey DI. Joint Sense, Muscle Sense, and Their Combination as Position Sense, Measured at the Elbow. J Physiol. 1976;260(2):387-407. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.1976.sp011306
Roll JP, Vedel JP. Kinaesthetic Role of Muscle Afferents in Man, Studied by Tendon Vibration and Microneurography. Exp Brain Res. 1982;47(2):177-190. doi:10.1007/BF00239352
Gandevia SC. Kinesthesia: Roles for afferent signals and motor commands. In: Comprehensive Physiology. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; 2011. doi:10.1002/cphy.c100058
Specific to Autism
Marco, E. J., Hinkley, L. B., Hill, S. S., & Nagarajan, S. S. (2011). Sensory processing in autism: a review of neurophysiologic findings. Pediatric Research, 69(5 Pt 2), 48R-54R. doi: 10.1203/PDR.0b013e3182130c54
Torres, E. B., & Donnellan, A. M. (2013). Autism: the micro-movement perspective. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, 7, 32. doi: 10.3389/fnint.2013.00032
Haswell, C. C., Izawa, J., Dowell, L. R., Mostofsky, S. H., & Shadmehr, R. (2009). Representation of internal models of action in the autistic brain. Nature Neuroscience, 12(8), 970-972. doi: 10.1038/nn.2356
Glazebrook, C. M., Gonzalez, D. A., Hansen, S., Elliott, D., & Lyons, J. (2009). Impaired visuo-motor processing contributes to altered personal space in autism. Neuropsychologia, 47(13), 2811-2817. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2009.06.021
Cascio, C. J., Foss-Feig, J. H., Heacock, J., & Newsom, C. R. (2012). Tactile perception in adults with autism: a multidimensional psychophysical study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(11), 2270-2282. doi: 10.1007/s10803-012-1486-2
Hilton, C. L., Zhang, Y., Whilte, M. R., Klohr, C. L., & Constantino, J. N. (2012). Motor impairment in sibling pairs concordant and discordant for autism spectrum disorders. Autism, 16(4), 430-441. doi: 10.1177/1362361311435155
Glazebrook, C. M., & Elliott, D. (2010). Vision-action coupling for perceptual control of posture in children with and without autism spectrum disorders. Developmental Science, 13(5), 742-753. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2009.00941.x
