Abstract
Passive extraocular muscles (EOMs), like most biological tissues, are hyperelastic, that is, their stiffness increases as they are stretched. It has always been assumed, and in a few occasions argued, that this is their only nonlinearity and that it can be ignored in central gaze. However, using novel measurement techniques in anesthetized paralyzed monkeys, we have recently demonstrated that EOMs are characterized by another prominent nonlinearity: the forces induced by sequences of stretches do not sum. Thus, superposition, a central tenet of linear and quasi-linear models, does not hold in passive EOMs. Here, we outline the implications of this finding, especially in light of the common assumption that it is easier for the brain to control a linear than a nonlinear plant. We argue against this common belief: the specific nonlinearity of passive EOMs may actually make it easier for the brain to control the plant than if muscles were linear.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 17-25 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences |
| Volume | 1233 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 2011 |
Fingerprint
Keywords
- Control
- Model
- Quasilinear
- Superposition
- Viscoelasticity
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
- History and Philosophy of Science
Cite this
The nonlinearity of passive extraocular muscles. / Quaia, Christian; Ying, Howard S.; Optican, Lance M.
In: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol. 1233, No. 1, 09.2011, p. 17-25.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The nonlinearity of passive extraocular muscles
AU - Quaia, Christian
AU - Ying, Howard S.
AU - Optican, Lance M.
PY - 2011/9
Y1 - 2011/9
N2 - Passive extraocular muscles (EOMs), like most biological tissues, are hyperelastic, that is, their stiffness increases as they are stretched. It has always been assumed, and in a few occasions argued, that this is their only nonlinearity and that it can be ignored in central gaze. However, using novel measurement techniques in anesthetized paralyzed monkeys, we have recently demonstrated that EOMs are characterized by another prominent nonlinearity: the forces induced by sequences of stretches do not sum. Thus, superposition, a central tenet of linear and quasi-linear models, does not hold in passive EOMs. Here, we outline the implications of this finding, especially in light of the common assumption that it is easier for the brain to control a linear than a nonlinear plant. We argue against this common belief: the specific nonlinearity of passive EOMs may actually make it easier for the brain to control the plant than if muscles were linear.
AB - Passive extraocular muscles (EOMs), like most biological tissues, are hyperelastic, that is, their stiffness increases as they are stretched. It has always been assumed, and in a few occasions argued, that this is their only nonlinearity and that it can be ignored in central gaze. However, using novel measurement techniques in anesthetized paralyzed monkeys, we have recently demonstrated that EOMs are characterized by another prominent nonlinearity: the forces induced by sequences of stretches do not sum. Thus, superposition, a central tenet of linear and quasi-linear models, does not hold in passive EOMs. Here, we outline the implications of this finding, especially in light of the common assumption that it is easier for the brain to control a linear than a nonlinear plant. We argue against this common belief: the specific nonlinearity of passive EOMs may actually make it easier for the brain to control the plant than if muscles were linear.
KW - Control
KW - Model
KW - Quasilinear
KW - Superposition
KW - Viscoelasticity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=80053208682&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=80053208682&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06111.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06111.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 21950971
AN - SCOPUS:80053208682
VL - 1233
SP - 17
EP - 25
JO - Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
JF - Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
SN - 0077-8923
IS - 1
ER -