Leg Movement

Leg movement is the coordinated action of muscles, bones, joints, and the nervous system that enables organisms to stand, walk, run, and maintain balance. Motor neurons activate skeletal muscles, which generate force by contracting and transmit it through tendons to move bones around joints; sensory feedback then adjusts timing, strength, and posture. In biology, studying leg movement reveals how the musculoskeletal and nervous systems produce locomotion, from alternating muscle activity during walking to rapid responses that prevent falls. This knowledge supports research in biomechanics, animal behavior, motor control, rehabilitation, and the development of assistive devices.

Leg Movement - Related Videos

Education

JoVE Core - Anatomy and Physiology

Muscles that Move the Leg

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2024

The movement of the legs is facilitated by numerous muscles located within the anterior, medial, and posterior compartments of the thigh. Anterior Compartment The quadriceps femoris, the most visible muscle of the anterior compartment, is integral for leg extension and thigh flexion. It is formed by merging four distinct muscles — the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, and rectus femoris. The quadriceps tendon, a shared tendon of the four quadriceps muscles, is affixed to...

Research

JoVE Journal - Behavior

Quantifying Learning in Young Infants: Tracking Leg Actions During a Discovery-learning Task

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Cited by 18 •

2015

A method is described in which 3-4 month old infants learn a task by discovery and their leg movements are captured to quantify the learning process.

Imaging of Fluorescently-Labeled Motor Neurons in an Adult Drosophila Leg

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2025

Source: Guan, W., et. al. Visualize Drosophila Leg Motor Neuron Axons Through the Adult Cuticle. J. Vis. Exp. (2018) This video demonstrates imaging of Drosophila legs with green fluorescent protein-expressing motor neurons using confocal microscopy. A laser and two detectors capture GFP and cuticle autofluorescence. Images are processed by splitting channels, subtracting autofluorescence, and merging into a colored composite image to visualize axons within the leg segment.

Eye Movement Monitoring of Memory

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Cited by 10 •

2010

Eye movement monitoring (or eye tracking) reveals where in space the eyes linger, when and for how long. Here, we demonstrate how eye tracking can be used to investigate the integrity of memory in multiple participant populations, without requiring verbal, or otherwise explicit, reports.

Research

JoVE Journal - Neuroscience
Free Sample

Physiological Recordings of High and Low Output NMJs on the Crayfish Leg Extensor Muscle

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Cited by 13 •

2010

This article demonstrates how to conduct electrophysiological recordings of synaptic responses on the extensor muscle in the walking leg of a crayfish and how the nerve terminals are visualized to show the gross morphological differences of high- and low-output nerve terminals.

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