Muscle Activity Measures

- Electromyography (EMG): recording of muscle electrical activity

- Common use is to determine when a muscle begins and ends activation (Fig 2.10)
- Fractionated RT (index of movement prep)
Example**: Hamstring first activated if standing upright (holding body down upright) – arm go up;
anterior deltoid

- Whole muscle Mechanomygraphy (WMMG):

- Displacement of muscle belly after stimulation

- Estimate muscle fiber composition within a single muscle

- Near infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS):
- Level of oxygen in the muscle (or brain) – (**at the time movement is occurring)

- Portable and can record while participant is moving BUT light probes cant penerate deep,
provides info about outermost layer of brain, limited spatial resolution

Brain activity Measures

- Researchers + clinicians
- 4 measures commonly reported in motor learning + con research
- 1) EEG: Electrocephalography

- measures electrical activity in brain (waves)

- From fastest  slowest: Beta, alpha, theta, delta (mental activities = fast) (sleeping =
slowest)
- Active brain regions produce electrical acivity
- Seizures

-2) PET

- Neuroimaging (brain scanning) technique that measures blood flow in the brain
- Blood flow increases to active brain regions

-3) Fmri

- Neuroimaging technique that measures blood flow changes by deteching oxygenation levels
WHILE person performs task (active = blood flow increases)

-4) MEG

- Measures magnetic fields created by neuronal activity

- Direct measure of brain function – can identify damaged brain tissue