Rethinking The Science of Muscle Tone
The ASO Newsletter - 50th edition
Enabling greater understanding of the Alexander Technique.
Introduction
This month’s blog post marks a milestone—our 50th episode! In this conversation, ASO team member Erica Donnison interviews Dr. Tim Cacciatore, co-author of the recently published paper Central Mechanisms of Muscle Tone Regulation: Implications for Pain and Performance.
Tim shares the background behind the research, clarifies key concepts, and explores how muscle tone regulation relates to balance, movement, and coordination. He discusses why understanding tone is crucial for Alexander Technique teachers, researchers, clinicians, and the public, shedding light on its role in pain management and performance. The conversation also delves into long-standing misconceptions about the reflex model, tracing its historical roots and explaining how modern neuroscience offers a clearer picture of the neurophysiological processes at play in AT lessons and daily life.
This is the first of a two-part discussion. Stay tuned for part II, where Erica and Tim will further explore how these insights connect with terminology and ideas commonly used in Alexander Technique teaching.
The paper is open-access (linked below) and designed for a wide audience—including teachers, researchers, and anyone curious about the science of movement. This conversation is packed with valuable insights—you might just want to watch it twice!
Note: This video mentions historical neuroscience studies involving animal research. As with all neuroscience research, this paper synthesizes past findings—however, no animal studies were conducted by Tim and colleagues in their work on rethinking muscle tone in relation to the Alexander Technique.
Additional Resources
Link to the Paper Discussed in Frontiers in Neuroscience: Link to free open access download
Link to the 2018 Ivanenko / Gurfinkel paper on tone mentioned in the discussion can be found here.
If it’s not clear they use the term “equilibrium control” to mean balance.
Link to a related 2009 Paper on Tone: Reduced performance in balance, walking and turning tasks is associated with
To learn more about Tim Cacciatore and the work of co-author Rajal Cohen you can visit their website at Alexander Technique Science
About
Tim Cacciatore, PhD, is an expert in the neuroscience of postural tone and its relationship with movement coordination. He was motivated to study postural control because he thought the scientific literature lacked plausible explanations for how the Alexander Technique affected posture and helped his own back pain. His research has aimed to use somatic methods as a tool to reveal properties of the motor system. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles with leading experts in motor control such as Drs Victor Gurfinkel, Fay Horak, and Brian Day at institutions that have included University College London, Oregon Health Sciences University, and the University of California, San Diego.
Erica Donnison is part of the ASO team.
Thank You
Thank you to Tim Cacciatore for his time and generous contribution to this post. To our community, your participation matters! Support our work at ASO by subscribing for free, sharing this post, commenting below, or emailing us; we’d love to hear from you!