ArticleProceedings. Biological sciences2016
Joint torques in a freely walking insect reveal distinct functions of leg joints in propulsion and posture control.
Article in Proceedings. Biological sciences, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers.
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25 citing papers in PubMed, 65 citations in OpenAlex.
- Whole-body 3D kinematics of freely behavingbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
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- Natural variability and individuality of walking behavior in Drosophila.The Journal of experimental biology · 2024Article
- Mechanosensory encoding of forces in walking uphill and downhill: force feedback can stabilize leg movements in stick insects.Journal of neurophysiology · 2024Article
- A leg model based on anatomical landmarks to study 3D joint kinematics of walking inFrontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2024Article
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- Adaptive load feedback robustly signals force dynamics in robotic model ofFrontiers in neurorobotics · 2023Article
- neuroWalknet, a controller for hexapod walking allowing for context dependent behavior.PLoS computational biology · 2023Article
- Analyzing Modeled Torque Profiles to Understand Scale-Dependent Active Muscle Responses in the Hip Joint.Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Thorax-Segment- and Leg-Segment-Specific Motor Control for Adaptive Behavior.Frontiers in physiology · 2022Article
- Evaluation of force feedback in walking using joint torques as "naturalistic" stimuli.Journal of neurophysiology · 2021Article
- Measuring strain in the exoskeleton of spiders-virtues and caveats.Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology · 2021Review
- Leg amputation modifies coordinated activation of the middle leg muscles in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- From Motor-Output to Connectivity: An In-Depth Study ofFrontiers in insect science · 2021Article
- Lower extremity joints and their contributions to whole limb extension.International biomechanics · 2020Article
- Decentralized control of insect walking: A simple neural network explains a wide range of behavioral and neurophysiological results.PLoS computational biology · 2020Article
- Body side-specific changes in sensorimotor processing of movement feedback in a walking insect.Journal of neurophysiology · 2019Article
- Identification of the origin of force-feedback signals influencing motor neurons of the thoraco-coxal joint in an insect.Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology · 2019Article
- Integrative Biomimetics of Autonomous Hexapedal Locomotion.Frontiers in neurorobotics · 2019Article
- Force dynamics and synergist muscle activation in stick insects: the effects of using joint torques as mechanical stimuli.Journal of neurophysiology · 2018Article
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3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Determining the mechanical output of limb joints is critical for understanding the control of complex motor behaviours such as walking. In the case of insect walking, the neural infrastructure for single-joint control is well described. However, a detailed description of the motor output in form of time-varying joint torques is lacking. Here, we determine joint torques in the stick insect to identify leg joint function in the control of body height and propulsion. Torques were determined by measuring whole-body kinematics and ground reaction forces in freely walking animals. We demonstrate that despite strong differences in morphology and posture, stick insects show a functional division of joints similar to other insect model systems. Propulsion was generated by strong depression torques about the coxa-trochanter joint, not by retraction or flexion/extension torques. Torques about the respective thorax-coxa and femur-tibia joints were often directed opposite to fore-aft forces and joint movements. This suggests a posture-dependent mechanism that counteracts collapse of the leg under body load and directs the resultant force vector such that strong depression torques can control both body height and propulsion. Our findings parallel propulsive mechanisms described in other walking, jumping and flying insects, and challenge current control models of insect walking.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.