Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37653105›Full record

ArticleExperimental brain research2023

The contribution of muscle spindles to position sense measured with three different methods.

Christopher Roach, Christopher Love, Trevor Allen, Uwe Proske

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Experimental brain research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
17citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

17 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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  6. Article
  7. Measuring position sense.Experimental physiology · 2025
    Review
  8. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Christopher RoachDepartment of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
Christopher LoveDepartment of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
Trevor AllenDepartment of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia. trevor.allen@monash.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3911-7914
Uwe ProskeDepartment of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The sense of limb position is important, because it is believed to contribute to our sense of self-awareness. Muscle spindles, including both primary and secondary endings of spindles, are thought to be the principal position sensors. Passive spindles possess a property called thixotropy which allows their sensitivity to be manipulated. Here, thixotropic patterns of position errors have been studied with three commonly used methods of measurement of position sense. The patterns of errors have been used as indicators of the influence exerted by muscle spindles on a measured value of position sense. In two-arm matching, the blindfolded participant indicates the location of one arm by placement of the other. In one-arm pointing, the participant points to the perceived position of their other, hidden arm. In repositioning, one of the blindfolded participant's arms is placed at a chosen angle and they are asked to remember its position and then, after a delay, reproduce the position. The three methods were studied over the full range of elbow angles between 5° (elbow extension) and 125° (elbow flexion). Different outcomes were achieved with each method; in two-arm matching, position errors were symmetrical about zero and thixotropic influences were large, while in one-arm pointing, errors were biased towards extension. In repositioning, thixotropic effects were small. We conclude that each of the methods of measuring position sense comprises different mixes of peripheral and central influences. This will have to be taken into consideration by the clinician diagnosing disturbances in position sense.

Indexed as

Elbow JointMuscle SpindlesHumansMuscle ContractionMuscle, SkeletalProprioceptionMuscle spindleProprioceptionSelf-awarenessThixotropy

Identifiers

PMID37653105
PMCPMC10520194

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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.