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Full-Text Articles in Biomechanics
Gaze During Turning In Older Adults, Kalina Mavrov
Gaze During Turning In Older Adults, Kalina Mavrov
Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects
To navigate complex environments, our gaze needs to attenuate to locomotor tasks, such as walking and turning. Shifting gaze (i.e., rotation of the eyes and head), is important when moving through different environments. The aim of this study was to compare gaze anticipation during clinical tests and complex real-world locomotion. I hypothesized that older adults would shift their gaze in a new heading direction in anticipation of turns. I further predicted increased gaze anticipation in tasks that have a high demand for spatial orientation. Participants were asked to complete clinical tasks consisting of a 2-minute walk, figure-8, and 360-turning in …
Age-Related Changes In Corticospinal Drive During Locomotor Adaptation, Sumire D. Sato
Age-Related Changes In Corticospinal Drive During Locomotor Adaptation, Sumire D. Sato
Doctoral Dissertations
During activities of daily living, locomotor patterns must be continuously adapted according to changes in our body (e.g., bodily injuries, fatigue) and to the changing environment (e.g., walking surface). Plasticity of spinal networks and supraspinal centers, including the cerebellum and cerebral cortex, have been shown to play important roles in human locomotor adaptation. However, the neural control of locomotion and the ability to adapt locomotor patterns are altered in older adults, which may limit activities of daily living and increase fall-related injuries in the elderly population. My dissertation project is focused on understanding the role of corticospinal drive during split-belt …
Quantifying Gait Adaptability: Fractality, Complexity, And Stability During Asymmetric Walking, Scott W. Ducharme
Quantifying Gait Adaptability: Fractality, Complexity, And Stability During Asymmetric Walking, Scott W. Ducharme
Doctoral Dissertations
Successful walking necessitates modifying locomotor patterns when encountering organism, task, or environmental constraints. The structure of stride-to-stride variance (fractal dynamics) may represent the adaptive capacity of the locomotor system. To date, however, fractal dynamics have been assessed during unperturbed walking. Quantifying gait adaptability requires tasks that compel locomotor patterns to adapt. The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the potential relationship between fractal dynamics and gait adaptability. The studies presented herein represent a necessary endeavor to incorporate both an analysis of gait fractal dynamics and a task requiring adaptation of locomotor patterns. The adaptation task involved walking asymmetrically on …