Neural Mechanisms Underlying Grip Strength as a Translational Biomarker of Central and Peripheral Function

Grip strength is an established preclinical and clinical measure with strong face validity for assessing neuromuscular function across a range of conditions, including neurodegeneration, pain, metabolic disease, acute paralysis, and aging. Successful force production during grip requires coordinated engagement of descending motor pathways, spinal motor neuron pools, and peripheral neuromuscular junctions, making it a uniquely informative readout for dissecting central and/or peripheral contributions to functional behavior. Recent work has shown that dynamic grip strength responses, including force profiles and their temporal characteristics, can reveal disruptions in motor unit recruitment, corticospinal drive, and sensorimotor integration that standard outcome measures may miss. These findings position grip strength not simply as a measure of muscular capacity, but as a window into the neural substrates governing efferent output and its modulation by neurohormonal signaling, stress physiology, and disease-related plasticity.Despite this potential, the neural mechanisms linking altered grip force dynamics to specific central and peripheral pathologies remain poorly characterized. Critical gaps persist in understanding how changes in corticospinal excitability, spinal circuitry, and neuromuscular junction integrity each contribute to grip strength impairment across different disease states, and how these measures translate between preclinical models and clinical populations. This Research Topic aims to consolidate current evidence and drive new investigation into the neuroscience of grip strength as a functional and translational biomarker. By bringing together researchers working across motor neuroscience, neurophysiology, and translational medicine, this collection seeks to advance the mechanistic understanding of grip force regulation and its application as a cross-species readout of neural function and dysfunction.We welcome submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:* Central and peripheral neural contributions to grip strength variation across preclinical and clinical populations* Real-time in-vivo neurophysiological recording during grip force production in health and disease* Neuromuscular and neurohormonal mechanisms underlying grip strength impairment in neurological and stress-related conditions* Motor unit recruitment, force modulation, and sensorimotor integration during grip tasks* Innovative or comparative grip strength methodologies with translational applications.* In-vitro mechanistic work on modulation of motor unit recruitment* Translational comparison of grip strength across in-vivo models relevant to neuroscience Topic editors: Joseph J Munier, Diego Gomez-Baya Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80363/neural-mechanisms-underlying-grip-strength-as-a-translational-biomarker-of-central-and-peripheral-function