The Neuromuscular Origins of Kinematic Variability during Perturbed Walking
Abstract We investigated the neuromuscular contributions to kinematic variability and thus step to step adjustments in posture and foot placement across a range of walking speeds in response to optical flow perturbations of different amplitudes using a custom virtual environment. We found that pertu...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2017-04-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-00942-x |
| _version_ | 1818840550625771520 |
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| author | Heather E. Stokes Jessica D. Thompson Jason R. Franz |
| author_facet | Heather E. Stokes Jessica D. Thompson Jason R. Franz |
| author_sort | Heather E. Stokes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract We investigated the neuromuscular contributions to kinematic variability and thus step to step adjustments in posture and foot placement across a range of walking speeds in response to optical flow perturbations of different amplitudes using a custom virtual environment. We found that perturbations significantly increased step width, decreased step length, and elicited larger trunk sway compared to normal walking. However, perturbation-induced effects on the corresponding variabilities of these measurements were much more profound. Consistent with our hypotheses, we found that: (1) perturbations increased EMG activity of the gluteus medius and postural control muscles during leg swing, and increased antagonist leg muscle coactivation during limb loading in early stance, and (2) changes in the magnitude of step to step adjustments in postural sway and lateral foot placement positively correlated with those of postural control and gluteus medius muscle activities, respectively, in response to perturbations. However, (3) interactions between walking speed and susceptibility to perturbations, when present, were more complex than anticipated. Our study provides important mechanistic neuromuscular insight into walking balance control and important reference values for the emergence of balance impairment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T04:11:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-75870843065c41c4b1bee563b11363d2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T04:11:58Z |
| publishDate | 2017-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-75870843065c41c4b1bee563b11363d22022-12-21T20:36:24ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222017-04-01711910.1038/s41598-017-00942-xThe Neuromuscular Origins of Kinematic Variability during Perturbed WalkingHeather E. Stokes0Jessica D. Thompson1Jason R. Franz2Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State UniversityJoint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State UniversityJoint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State UniversityAbstract We investigated the neuromuscular contributions to kinematic variability and thus step to step adjustments in posture and foot placement across a range of walking speeds in response to optical flow perturbations of different amplitudes using a custom virtual environment. We found that perturbations significantly increased step width, decreased step length, and elicited larger trunk sway compared to normal walking. However, perturbation-induced effects on the corresponding variabilities of these measurements were much more profound. Consistent with our hypotheses, we found that: (1) perturbations increased EMG activity of the gluteus medius and postural control muscles during leg swing, and increased antagonist leg muscle coactivation during limb loading in early stance, and (2) changes in the magnitude of step to step adjustments in postural sway and lateral foot placement positively correlated with those of postural control and gluteus medius muscle activities, respectively, in response to perturbations. However, (3) interactions between walking speed and susceptibility to perturbations, when present, were more complex than anticipated. Our study provides important mechanistic neuromuscular insight into walking balance control and important reference values for the emergence of balance impairment.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-00942-x |
| spellingShingle | Heather E. Stokes Jessica D. Thompson Jason R. Franz The Neuromuscular Origins of Kinematic Variability during Perturbed Walking Scientific Reports |
| title | The Neuromuscular Origins of Kinematic Variability during Perturbed Walking |
| title_full | The Neuromuscular Origins of Kinematic Variability during Perturbed Walking |
| title_fullStr | The Neuromuscular Origins of Kinematic Variability during Perturbed Walking |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Neuromuscular Origins of Kinematic Variability during Perturbed Walking |
| title_short | The Neuromuscular Origins of Kinematic Variability during Perturbed Walking |
| title_sort | neuromuscular origins of kinematic variability during perturbed walking |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-00942-x |
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