Mechanisms by which coactivation expedites flexible and task-dependent control

Establish the neurophysiological mechanisms by which muscle coactivation expedites flexible, task-dependent motor control, including potential shifts from transcortical feedback pathways to faster spinal and subcortical feedback circuits.

Background

The paper argues that coactivation may enable rapid production of torque by leveraging both excitation of agonists and inhibition of antagonists, potentially shifting reliance from slower transcortical feedback to faster spinal and subcortical circuits when urgency is high.

Despite these hypotheses, the authors note that it remains unclear how the nervous system operationalizes coactivation to achieve expedited, flexible control across different tasks.