Rethinking The Science of Muscle Tone - Part II
The ASO Newsletter - 51st edition
Working together to enable greater understanding of the Alexander Technique through disciplined inquiry.
Introduction
In this episode, ASO team member Erica Donnison continues her conversation with Dr. Tim Cacciatore, co-author of the newly released open-access paper Central Mechanisms of Muscle Tone Regulation: Implications for Pain and Performance.
In part two of their discussion, Tim explores ways in which these findings relate to common terminology, historical connections, and concepts in Alexander Technique teaching.
Whether you're a teacher, trainee, student, or researcher, this conversation offers valuable insights and explorations. You may want to watch it twice! The open access paper found on the Frontiers of Neuroscience is linked below.
Please note: This video briefly 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 the Part I of the discussion: Rethinking the Science of Muscle Tone Feb, 2025
Link to the paper mentioned by Jean Fisher: A History of Magnus in the Alexander Technique
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!