Motor Control Commons^™

The Effect Of Gvs On Path Trajectory And Body Rotation In The Absence Of Visual Cues During A Spatial Navigation Task, Tanya Karn

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Background: The vestibular system has been shown to contribute to mechanisms of locomotion such as distance perception. Galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) is a tool used to perturb the vestibular system, and causes significant deviations in path trajectory during locomotion. Previous research has suggested that applying GVS during straight-line locomotion tasks is not sufficient to determine the effects of the vestibular system on locomotion. However, spatial navigation challenges one’s ability to navigate throughout the environment using idiothetic cues to constantly update one’s position. The purpose of the current study was to determine the effects of GVS on both path trajectory and …

Motor Control: Theory And Practical Application For The Youth Basketball Coach, Lucas R. Deckard

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

BACKGROUND: Motor control, learning, and development need to be considered by any coach working with youth athletes. When coaches fail to consider these areas, they may be more likely to create practice plans, which omit the innate physiological and psychological differences between youth and adult participants, lessen the development of sport-specific skills, and may create less enjoyable sporting experiences for young players. PURPOSE: The aims of this literature review were to explore recent scientific literature linking motor behavior/development to application in youth basketball, identify major themes, and summarize these concepts in a manner useful to coaches in this environment. METHODS: …

Is Steering Practice Task Dependent?, Dale Lewis, Seyed Amirhossein Hosseini, Jacqueline Jenkins

Undergraduate Research Posters 2014

A driving simulation experiment was conducted to examine the performance improvement of participants while conducting a lane keeping task and two lane changing tasks on a straight road. Forty-four participants, sixteen females and twenty-eight males, drove one of three driving conditions. The data was analyzed to test whether 1) practice is better than no practice; 2) practicing a less challenging but similar steering task is good practice for a more challenging steering task; and 3) practicing a more challenging but similar steering task is good practice for a less challenging steering task. The results indicate that practicing the more challenging …

Development Of A System For Analysis Of Muscle Contraction Pattern During Drosophila Melanogaster Crawling Behavior, Mary Catherine Decker

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

The aim of this study was to attain footage of the crawling Drosophila larva from 360° angles in order to visualize the pattern of individual muscle contractions. A GAL4-UAS system was used to drive homozygous GCAMP expression, causing the muscles of the Drosophila larva to fluoresce when contracting. A stand was designed in order to place a live, crawling larva in a glass capillary tube under a fluorescent microscope and then rotate the tube completely for 360° video footage. Through the combination of the GCAMP expression and the rotatable stand, video of the individual muscle contraction pattern of a crawling …

Training Strategies And Movement Assessments In Athletes And Non-Athletes, Matthew David Lewis

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

This dissertation is composed of three manuscripts based on two studies related to training and assessment methods used to evaluate change and overall quality in measures of performance, postural control, and functional movement. Study one evaluated the effect of sand training on athletic performance and postural control. Study two investigated the effect of scoring strata of the deep squat (DS) component of the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) on the weight-bearing lunge test (WBLT), Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), and Lateral Flexion Test (LFT) in 101 male and female college students.

Study one results included significant overall improvements of the five …

Gait Initiation Mechanics In Concussed Varsity Athletes, Adam Harper

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Concussions are a common and potentially serious injury that affects athletes across multiple sports. More than ever concussions are now at the forefront of sport-related research.

Current research indicates that in a cohort of Canadian junior hockey players examined during the 2009-2010 season showed a rate of concussion at 36.5% of all athletic injuries (Echlin et al., 2010). This rate of concussion injury indicates that proper evaluations and examination tools are key to successful management of concussions. The objective of this study was to determine whether a functional task such as gait initiation is able to quantify stability difference following …

Laterality Across The Lifespan: The Effects Of Task Complexity, Nicole Williams

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The current study aimed to build on the work of Gooderham & Bryden (2013) by comparing the effects of task complexity on hand selection across the lifespan. It was hypothesized that the increasing complexity of a task would override a biomechanically efficient movement such that participants would use only the preferred hand to complete the task. It was also hypothesized that older adults would perform similarly to young children with respect to switch points in space. Four age groups of participants (3-7 year olds, 8-12 year olds, 18-25 year olds and adults over 70 years) completed the newly designed Hand …

Strategies To Decrease Movement Variability In The Ankle Joint In Cyclists, Claudia Guadalupe Chavez

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Coordination variability is thought to be indicative of a cyclist’s skill level as novices have higher levels of variability than experts (Sides & Wilson, 2012). It was hypothesized that the externally focused instructions with visual feedback group would decrease coordination variability in the ankle joint to a greater extent than those in the internally focused instructions with visual feedback group. Six cyclists (30-40 years) completed a four day acquisition period and a retention test. During this time participants cycled for 10-15 minutes at a power output equal to 2.0-2.5W/kg of body mass. Participants were provided with internally or externally focused …

Variability Of Practice And Strength Training Periodization: When Theories Collide, Katherine Lauren Streder

Master's Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to examine whether variability of practice enhances neuromuscular adaptations when compared to traditional strength training. The secondary purpose was to investigate whether there was a difference in perception of exertion between the two strength programs. Forty one subjects (23 women and 18 men) were assigned to either the control group or one of two treatment groups by a blocked-random method. Subject's one repetition maximum (1RM) for the kettlebell press and leg press were measured at baseline, after 4 weeks of training, and after 8 weeks of training. The treatment groups completed 8 weeks …

Functional Morphology Of Rat Hands And Feet: Correlation With The Ability To Grip Tree Branches During Locomotion, Jessica E. Fonce, Andrew R. Lammers

Undergraduate Research Posters 2013

Anatomy and function are usually closely related. Since locomotion on tree branches is common among mammals, we expect to find that the anatomy of the hands and feet is well-suited toward gripping narrow, cylindrical, branch-like substrates. We hypothesize that the ability of rats to grip arboreal supports relies on musculature responsible for adducting the first digit (thumb and big toe) and opposing medial-most and lateral-most digits. We dissected the hands and feet of four rat cadavers. There is a substantial muscle that may be responsible for the flexion/adduction of the thumb in the hands. We also found lumbricals, and dorsal …

The Relationship Among Ankle Function, Functional Capacity, And Body Composition To Balance In Geriatric Populations, Joseph Robert Chaney

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this research study was to identify significant relationships among measures of ankle strength, ankle range of motion, body composition, and functional capacity to balance ability in geriatric populations which may potentially assist in identifying older individuals with increased risk of falling. A battery of five test (ankle strength assessments, ankle range of motion , DXA, functional fitness, and balance) were administered to 20 participants (6 males, 14 females, mean age 69.78 ± 3.98) that had indicated to be at least 65 years of age or older and no history of falls within the previous 12 months. …

Additive Effects Of An External Focus And Enhanced Expectancy In Learning A Motor Skill, Luigi Antonio Pascua

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

An external focus of attention in has been shown to produce better performance in practice and retention of a motor skill when compared to an internal focus or control conditions in which no attentional focus cues are given to the learner (for a review, see Wulf, 2012). Enhancing learner expectancy (e.g., via positive feedback) has also been shown to improve learning (e.g., Lewthwaite & Wulf, 2010). This study sought to investigate whether combining the positive effects of an external focus of attention with an enhanced learner expectancy (through positive social-comparative feedback) would enhance learning relative to either variable alone or …

Examining Lower Extremity Range Of Motion And Movement Variability Chages Due To Focus Of Attention During Landing, Andrew Nordin, Janet Dufek

Interdisciplinary Research Scholarship Day

Attentional focus (AF) has been explored among a variety of motor skills providing evidence that external AF promotes automaticity and enhanced performance [6]. External focus of attention is distinguished from internal focus such that external focus is directed toward movement effect rather than body movements [6]. Movement variability provides a means of assessing functional characteristics of the neuromotor system, where normal functioning is suggested to occur within optimal limits, while excessively high or low movement variability is indicative of system dysfunction [2,4,5]. Additionally, the ability of the motor system to vary, or broadly distribute, internal loads is thought to reduce …

Comparison Of Responses In Proactive Vs. Reactive Balance Control, Christina A. Sadowski, Deborah Espy

Undergraduate Research Posters 2012

Even though recent research suggests reactive balance training (unexpected, external perturbations) has more effective, long term results than proactive training (self-initiated actions), the latter is used most often in a clinical setting due to its affordability and convenience. This pilot study sought to develop a safe, affordable, and easily portable perturbation-inducing device to be used for reactive balance training.

Effects Of Controlling Versus Autonomy-Supportive Language On Learning A Novel Motor Skill And Cortisol Release, Andrew Mcmahon Hooyman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to compare how different types of instruction effect the learning of a novel motor skill and how salivary cortisol correlates to learning differences. Participants (N = 44), average age 22.3 years (standard deviation 2.37), were randomly assigned to an autonomy-supportive, controlling-language or neutral language group which was manipulated via instructional video. Saliva was collected before and after each session, and questionnaires were given after pitching was completed during each day. Results showed that there was a significant difference among groups in throwing accuracy on performance and retention. Questionnaire results also showed significant group differences …

Exercise-Induced Neuroprotection In A Hemiparkinsonian 6-Hydroxydopamine Rat Model, Merrill Russen Landers

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Outside of finding a cure, one of the preeminent goals of research in Parkinson's disease (PD) is finding a neuroprotective treatment that when applied prior to the onset of the disease will decrease the risk and severity of the subsequent disease. One such treatment that has potential as a neuroprotective agent in PD is exercise. Several studies have found forced exercise to be protective of Parkinson's disease in adult rodent models; however, few of these studies have used a design wherein voluntary exercise was evaluated. Moreover, no study has used a true neuroprotective design in which exercise was applied prior …

Use Of A Video Game Based Balance Training Intervention On The Balance And Function Of Children With Developmental Disabilities, Gina C. Siconolfi-Morris

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Many children with developmental disabilities (DD) have physical impairments and limitations in their participation. Rehabilitation research often focuses on either physical impairments or participation restrictions, when both need to be investigated. The purposes of these two studies were to evaluate an at home therapist directed video game balance training intervention on balance, gait velocity (GV), hip strength and activities of children with DD. The pilot study was a single-subject non-concurrent multiple baseline design. Balance measures included: weight bearing symmetry; center of pressure area and velocity; time to boundary mean minima and standard deviation; and timed up and go. The participant’s …

Determining The Validity Of The Nintendo Wii Balance Board As An Assessment Tool For Balance, Sabrina Mae Deans

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Context. Application of the Nintendo Wii-fit balance board and its games have been used in Physical Therapy clinics, showing success in individuals with neurological disorders, and has been recommended as a minimum baseline assessment of a symptoms checklist and standardized cognitive and balance assessments for concussion management by the NCAA. However, it still faces challenges of being considered a reliable and consistent tool for producing normative data in the allied healthcare. Because there is little to no evidence for the Wii-fit balance board as a valid balance assessment tool for clinical and/or research usage, the significance of this study is …

An Exploratory Biomechanical Analysis Of The Side-To-Side Swing Patterns Of Three Skilled Switch Hitters, Francesca Marie Castellucci

Master's Theses

The ability to successfully switch hit, or hit a baseball from both sides of the plate, requires a great amount of practice and coordination bilaterally. This study used three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic data to examine the swing patterns of skilled switch hitters in baseball. Three male minor league and division I collegiate switch hitters participated. Subjects stood on force plates and hit baseballs off a tee while their swings were recorded with a three-dimensional optical motion capture system. Each subject performed twenty total swings, ten from the right and ten from the left. The swings were digitally analyzed and the …

Effect Of Handedness On Gross Motor Skill Acquisition Among College Undergraduates, Anthony Paul Parish

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is little applicable research investigating educational adaptation for handedness and even less research dealing with physical skill development. Given that PE teachers and students frequently rely on demonstrations to enhance learning, this study sought to determine if the congruence between teacher and student handedness is important? It was hypothesized that performance and form scores of left-handers that see a right-handed demonstration would be significantly higher than those of right-handers that see a left-handed demonstration.

A lacrosse shot was demonstrated to a group of 69 college-aged participants that were equally split in numbers between male and female and left and …