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Motor Affordance For Grasping A Safety Handle, Douglas W. Mcdannald, Manhoud Mansour, Garrett Rydalch, David A.E. Bolton

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

Mere observation of objects in our surroundings can potentiate movement, a fact reflected by visually-primed activation of motor cortical networks. This mechanism holds potential value for reactive balance control where recovery actions of the arms or legs must be targeted to a new support base to avoid a fall. The present study was conducted to test if viewing a wall-mounted safety handle – the type of handle commonly used to regain balance – results in activation of motor cortical networks. We hypothesized that the hand area of the primary motor cortex would be facilitated shortly after visual access to a …