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Pan Z, Liu L, Sun Y, Ma Y. A Study of the Effects of Motor Experience on Neuromuscular Control Strategies During Sprint Starts. Motor Control 2024:1-15. [PMID: 38710481 DOI: 10.1123/mc.2023-0149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Much of the current research on sprint start has attempted to analyze the biomechanical characteristics of elite athletes to provide guidance on the training of sprint technique, with less attention paid to the effects of motor experience gained from long-term training on neuromuscular control characteristics. The present study attempted to investigate the effect of motor experience on the modular organization of the neuromuscular system during starting, based on he clarification of the characteristics of muscle synergies during starting. It was found that exercise experience did not promote an increase in the number of synergies but rather a more focused timing of the activation of each synergy, allowing athletes to quickly complete the postural transition from crouching to running during the starting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengye Pan
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Lushuai Liu
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Sun
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yunchao Ma
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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Pan Z, Liu L, Li X, Ma Y. BP neural network-based analysis of the applicability of NMF in side-step cutting. Heliyon 2024; 10:e29673. [PMID: 38655337 PMCID: PMC11036090 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Although the spatio-temporal structure of muscle activation in cutting have been studied extensively, including time-varying motor primitives and time-invariant motor modules under various conditions, the factorisation methods suitable for cutting are unclear, and the extent to which each factorisation method loses information about movement during dimensionality reduction is uncertain. Research question To clarify the extent to which NMF, PCA and ICA retain information about movement when downscaling, and to explore the factorisation method suitable for cutting. Methods The kinematic data during cutting was captured with a Vicon motion capture system, from which the kinematic features of the pelvic centre of mass were calculated. NMF, PCA and ICA were used to obtain muscle synergies based on sEMG of the cutting at different angles, respectively. A back propagation neural network was constructed using temporal component of synergy as input and the kinematics data of pelvic as output. Calculation of the Hurst index using fractal analysis based on the temporal component of muscle synergy. Results The quality of sEMG reconstruction is significantly higher with ICA (P < 0.01) than with NMF and PCA for the cutting. The NMF reconstruction has a high degree of preservation of movement, whereas the ICA loses movement information about the most of the swing phase, and the PCA loses information related to the change of direction. Hurst index less than 0.5 for all three angles of cutting. Significance NMF is suitable for extracting muscle synergies in all directions of cutting. Information related to movement may be lost when using PCA and ICA to extract the synergy of cutting. The high individual variability of muscle synergy in cutting may be responsible for the loss of movement information in muscle synergy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengye Pan
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Lushuai Liu
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Xingman Li
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yunchao Ma
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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Yang C, Yang Y, Xu Y, Zhang Z, Lake M, Fu W. Whole leg compression garments influence lower limb kinematics and associated muscle synergies during running. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2024; 12:1310464. [PMID: 38444649 PMCID: PMC10912955 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1310464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The utilization of compression garments (CGs) has demonstrated the potential to improve athletic performance; however, the specific mechanisms underlying this enhancement remain a subject of further investigation. This study aimed to examine the impact of CGs on running mechanics and muscle synergies from a neuromuscular control perspective. Twelve adult males ran on a treadmill at 12 km/h, while data pertaining to lower limb kinematics, kinetics, and electromyography were collected under two clothing conditions: whole leg compression garments and control. The Non-negative matrix factorization algorithm was employed to extract muscle synergy during running, subsequently followed by cluster analysis and correlation analysis. The findings revealed that the CGs increased knee extension and reduced hip flexion at foot strike compared with the control condition. Moreover, CGs were found to enhance stance-phase peak knee extension, while diminishing hip flexion and maximal hip extension during the stance-phase, and the ankle kinematics remained unaltered. We extracted and classified six synergies (SYN1-6) during running and found that only five SYNs were observed after wearing CGs. CGs altered the structure of the synergies and changed muscle activation weights and durations. The current study is the first to apply muscle synergy to discuss the effect of CGs on running biomechanics. Our findings provide neuromuscular evidence for the idea of previous studies that CGs alter the coordination of muscle groups, thereby affecting kinematic characteristics during running.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenhao Yang
- School of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Exercise and Health Sciences of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Yang Yang
- School of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Exercise and Health Sciences of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Yongxin Xu
- School of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Exercise and Health Sciences of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhenyuan Zhang
- Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Science (RISES), Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Lake
- Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Science (RISES), Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Weijie Fu
- School of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Exercise and Health Sciences of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
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Vaz JR, Cortes N, Gomes JS, Jordão S, Stergiou N. Stride-to-stride fluctuations and temporal patterns of muscle activity exhibit similar responses during walking to variable visual cues. J Biomech 2024; 164:111972. [PMID: 38330885 PMCID: PMC11034849 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2024.111972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Incorporating variability within gait retraining approaches has been proposed and shown to lead to positive changes. Specifically, submitting the individuals to walk in synchrony to cues that are temporally organized with a fractal-like patterns, promotes changes at the stride-to-stride fluctuations closer to those typically find in young adults. However, there is still a need to understand the underlying neuromuscular mechanisms associated to such improvement. Thus, this study aimed to investigate whether changes in the temporal structure of the variability in gait patterns are accompanied by changes in muscle activity patterns. Fourteen young individuals walked synchronized to one uncued (UNC) and three cued conditions: isochronous (ISO), fractal (FRC) and random (RND). Inter-stride intervals were determined from an accelerometer placed on the lateral malleoli. Inter-muscle peak intervals were obtained from the electromyographic signal from the gastrocnemius muscle. Fractal scaling, obtained through detrended fluctuation analysis, and coefficient of variation were calculated. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to identify differences between conditions. Significant main effect was observed for both fractal scaling and coefficient of variation. Both shown no differences between UNC and FRC conditions, while ISO and RND were significantly lower compared to UNC and FRC conditions. In addition, a Pearson's Correlation was used to test the correlation between variables. A strong correlation was found the temporal structure of gait and muscle activity patterns. These findings strengthen the current literature regarding the incorporation of variability within cued approaches. Specifically, it shows that such an approach allows the modification of the neuromuscular processes underlying the stride-to-stride fluctuations.
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Affiliation(s)
- João R Vaz
- Egas Moniz Center for Interdisciplinary Research (CiiEM), Egas Moniz School of Health & Science, Monte da Caparica, Portugal; Division of Biomechanics and Research Development, Department of Biomechanics, and Center for Research in Human Movement Variability, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, United States; CIPER, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Nelson Cortes
- School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester UK; Department of Bioengineering, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States
| | - João Sá Gomes
- Egas Moniz Center for Interdisciplinary Research (CiiEM), Egas Moniz School of Health & Science, Monte da Caparica, Portugal; CIPER, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Sofia Jordão
- Egas Moniz Center for Interdisciplinary Research (CiiEM), Egas Moniz School of Health & Science, Monte da Caparica, Portugal; CIPER, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Nick Stergiou
- Division of Biomechanics and Research Development, Department of Biomechanics, and Center for Research in Human Movement Variability, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, United States
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Fazzari C, Macchi R, Kunimasa Y, Ressam C, Casanova R, Chavet P, Nicol C. Muscle synergies inherent in simulated hypogravity running reveal flexible but not unconstrained locomotor control. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2707. [PMID: 38302569 PMCID: PMC10834966 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50076-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
With human space exploration back in the spotlight, recent studies have investigated the neuromuscular adjustments to simulated hypogravity running. They have examined the activity of individual muscles, whereas the central nervous system may rather activate groups of functionally related muscles, known as muscle synergies. To understand how locomotor control adjusts to simulated hypogravity, we examined the temporal (motor primitives) and spatial (motor modules) components of muscle synergies in participants running sequentially at 100%, 60%, and 100% body weight on a treadmill. Our results highlighted the paradoxical nature of simulated hypogravity running: The reduced mechanical constraints allowed for a more flexible locomotor control, which correlated with the degree of spatiotemporal adjustments. Yet, the increased temporal (shortened stance phase) and sensory (deteriorated proprioceptive feedback) constraints required wider motor primitives and a higher contribution of the hamstring muscles during the stance phase. These results are a first step towards improving astronaut training protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Robin Macchi
- Aix-Marseille Univ, CNRS, ISM, Marseille, France
- French Institute of Sport (INSEP), Laboratory Sport, Expertise and Performance (EA 7370), Paris, France
| | | | - Camélia Ressam
- NeuroSpin, UMR CEA/CNRS 9027, Paris-Saclay University, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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6
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Pan Z, Liu L, Li X, Ma Y. Characteristics of muscle synergy and anticipatory synergy adjustments strategy when cutting in different angles. Gait Posture 2024; 107:114-120. [PMID: 36990911 DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2023.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cutting is a quick change of direction that challenges body balance and stability. As the cut-angle increases, the elite athlete can achieve higher performance by pre-adjusting the posture of the lower limb joints. However, it is unclear how the cut-angle affects the neuromuscular control of cutting and the step before cutting, which is essential for daily training and preventing injury in large-angle cutting. RESEARCH QUESTION The purpose of this study was to determine how neuromuscular control strategies change under different angles for cutting and the step before cutting METHODS: Non-negative matrix factorisation and K-means clustering were used to extract muscle synergy in the trunk and lower limbs of 12 athletes when cutting at different angles. Uncontrolled manifold analysis was used to clarify whether the muscle synergy fluctuations in the step before cutting were beneficial in stabilising the COP during the cutting. RESULTS This study found that the angle did not affect the number of muscle synergies either in the cutting or the step before the cutting. As the angle increases, the activation timing of synergy module 2 during cutting moves forward and is tightly integrated with module 1. The combined synergy at 90° accounted for the largest proportion of either cutting or the step before cutting and had a lower synergy index. SIGNIFICANCE Muscle synergy can respond to large-angle cutting through flexible combinations. The muscle synergy for 90° cutting is less regular and has a lower degree of anticipatory synergy adjustments, which may result in poorer postural stability and an increased risk of lower limb joint injury during cutting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengye Pan
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Lushuai Liu
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Xingman Li
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yunchao Ma
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
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Vickery-Howe DM, Bonanno DR, Dascombe BJ, Drain JR, Clarke AC, Hoolihan B, Willy RW, Middleton KJ. Physiological, perceptual, and biomechanical differences between treadmill and overground walking in healthy adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci 2023; 41:2088-2120. [PMID: 38350022 DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2024.2312481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to compare physiological, perceptual and biomechanical outcomes between walking on a treadmill and overground surfaces. Five databases (CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science) were searched until September 2022. Included studies needed to be a crossover design comparing biomechanical, physiological, or perceptual measures between motorised-treadmill and overground walking in healthy adults (18-65 years) walking at the same speed (<5% difference). The quality of studies were assessed using a modified Downs and Black Quality Index. Meta-analyses were performed to determine standardised mean difference ± 95% confidence intervals for all main outcome measures. Fifty-five studies were included with 1,005 participants. Relative oxygen consumption (standardised mean difference [95% confidence interval] 0.38 [0.14,0.63]) and cadence (0.22 [0.06,0.38]) are higher during treadmill walking. Whereas stride length (-0.36 [-0.62,-0.11]) and step length (-0.52 [-0.98,-0.06]) are lower during treadmill walking. Most kinetic variables are different between surfaces. The oxygen consumption, spatiotemporal and kinetic differences on the treadmill may be an attempt to increase stability due to the lack of control, discomfort and familiarity on the treadmill. Treadmill construction including surface stiffness and motor power are likely additional constraints that need to be considered and require investigation. This research was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship. Protocol registration is CRD42020208002 (PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews) in October 2020.
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Affiliation(s)
- D M Vickery-Howe
- Sports, Performance and Nutrition Research Group, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - D R Bonanno
- Discipline of Podiatry, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - B J Dascombe
- Applied Sport Science and Exercise Testing Laboratory, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Newcastle, Ourimbah, Australia
- School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, Australia
| | - J R Drain
- Human and Decision Sciences Division, Defence Science and Technology Group, Fishermans Bend, Australia
| | - A C Clarke
- Sports, Performance and Nutrition Research Group, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - B Hoolihan
- Applied Sport Science and Exercise Testing Laboratory, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Newcastle, Ourimbah, Australia
| | - R W Willy
- School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - K J Middleton
- Sports, Performance and Nutrition Research Group, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
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Pan Z, Liu L, Li X, Ma Y. A long short-term memory modeling-based compensation method for muscle synergy. Med Eng Phys 2023; 120:104054. [PMID: 37838409 DOI: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2023.104054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2023]
Abstract
Muscle synergy containing temporal and spatial patterns of muscle activity has been frequently used in prediction of kinematic characteristics. However, there is often some discrepancy between the predicted results based on muscle synergy and the actual movement performance. This study aims to propose a new method for compensating muscle synergy that allows the compensated synergy signal to predict kinematic characteristics more accurately. The study used the change of direction in running as background. Non-negative matrix factorisation was used to extract the muscle synergy during the change of direction at different angles. A non-linear association between synergy and the height of pelvic mass centre was established using long and short-term memory neural networks. Based on this model, the height fluctuations of the pelvic centre of mass are used as input and predict the fluctuations of the synergy which were used to compensate for the original synergy in different ways. The accuracy of the synergies compensated in different ways in predicting pelvic centre of mass movement was then assessed by back propagation neural networks. It was found that the compensated synergy significantly improves accuracy in predicting pelvic centre of mass displacement (R2, p < 0.05). The predicted results of all-compensation are significantly different from actual performance in the end-swing (p < 0.05). The predicted results of half-compensation do not differ significantly from the actual performance, and its damage to the original synergy is smaller and does not increase with angle compared to all-compensation. The all-compensation may be affected by individual variability and lead to increased errors. The half-compensation can improve the predictive accuracy of the synergy while reducing the adjustment to the original synergy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengye Pan
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Lushuai Liu
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Xingman Li
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yunchao Ma
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
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Pan Z, Liu L, Li X, Ma Y. The Influence of Experience on Neuromuscular Control of the Body When Cutting at Different Angles. J Mot Behav 2023; 55:423-434. [PMID: 37263584 DOI: 10.1080/00222895.2023.2218821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Cutting is an offensive technique commonly used in football and basketball to pass the opponent's defence by changing direction quickly in running. This paper aims to investigate the effect of experience and angle on the neuromuscular control strategies of the trunk and lower limbs during cutting. Non-negative matrix factorisation and K-means were used to extract muscle synergies (muscles that are activated in parallel) of 12 subjects with cut experience and 9 subjects without experience based on the sEMG signal collected from cutting at three cut angles (45°, 90°, and 135°), which was also mapped into the spinal motor output. Uncontrolled manifold analysis was used to establish the relationship between muscle synergies and COP. This study found that experienced subjects tended to use the lower limb muscles rather than the postural muscles as stabiliser muscles compared to novices. Experienced subjects can recruit an additional set of muscle synergy to cope with large-angle cuts. In addition, experienced subjects can activate the second muscle synergy, involving the hip and ankle stabilisation muscles, in advance to improve postural stability when cutting in large-angle. Synergy index of experienced subjects dropped rapidly before the quick stop and was relatively high during the change of direction. These results suggest that experience can modify the postural stabilisation mechanisms during cutting, and prompt the lower limb muscle synergy to produce anticipatory adjustment to improve postural stability in the anterior-posterior and internal-external directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengye Pan
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Lushuai Liu
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Xingman Li
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yunchao Ma
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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Wilson TJ, Likens AD. Running gait produces long range correlations: A systematic review. Gait Posture 2023; 102:171-179. [PMID: 37028119 DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2023.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Walking and running are common forms of locomotion, both of which exhibit variability over many gait cycles. Many studies have investigated the patterns generated from that ebb and flow, and a large proportion suggests human gait exhibits Long Range Correlations (LRCs). LRCs refer to the observation that healthy gait characteristic, like stride times, are positively correlated to themselves over time. Literature on LRCs in walking gait is well known but less attention has been given to LRCs in running gait. RESEARCH QUESTION What is the state of the art concerning LRCs in running gait? METHODS We conducted a systematic review to identify the typical LRC patterns present in human running gait, in addition to disease, injury, and running surface effects on LRCs. Inclusion criteria were human subjects, running related experiments, computed LRCs, and experimental design. Exclusion criteria were studies on animals, non-humans, walking only, non-running, non-LRC analysis, and non-experiments. RESULTS The initial search returned 536 articles. After review and deliberation, our review included 26 articles. Almost every article produced strong evidence for LRCs apparent in running gait and in all running surfaces. Additionally, LRCs tended to decrease due to fatigue, past injury, increased load carriage and seem to be lowest at preferred running speed on a treadmill. No studies investigated disease effects on LRCs in running gait. SIGNIFICANCE LRCs seem to increase with deviations away from preferred running speed. Previously injured runners produced decreased LRCs compared to non-injured runners. LRCs also tended to decrease due to an increase in fatigue rate, which has been associated with increased injury rate. Lastly, there is a need for research on the typical LRCs in an overground environment, for which the typical LRCs found in a treadmill environment may or may not transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor J Wilson
- University of Nebraska at Omaha, 6160 University Drive S., Omaha NE 68182, United States.
| | - Aaron D Likens
- University of Nebraska at Omaha, 6160 University Drive S., Omaha NE 68182, United States
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Bach MM, Zandvoort CS, Cappellini G, Ivanenko Y, Lacquaniti F, Daffertshofer A, Dominici N. Development of running is not related to time since onset of independent walking, a longitudinal case study. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1101432. [PMID: 36875237 PMCID: PMC9978154 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1101432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Children start to run after they master walking. How running develops, however, is largely unknown. Methods We assessed the maturity of running pattern in two very young, typically developing children in a longitudinal design spanning about three years. Leg and trunk 3D kinematics and electromyography collected in six recording sessions, with more than a hundred strides each, entered our analysis. We recorded walking during the first session (the session of the first independent steps of the two toddlers at the age of 11.9 and 10.6 months) and fast walking or running for the subsequent sessions. More than 100 kinematic and neuromuscular parameters were determined for each session and stride. The equivalent data of five young adults served to define mature running. After dimensionality reduction using principal component analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis based on the average pairwise correlation distance to the adult running cluster served as a measure for maturity of the running pattern. Results Both children developed running. Yet, in one of them the running pattern did not reach maturity whereas in the other it did. As expected, mature running appeared in later sessions (>13 months after the onset of independent walking). Interestingly, mature running alternated with episodes of immature running within sessions. Our clustering approach separated them. Discussion An additional analysis of the accompanying muscle synergies revealed that the participant who did not reach mature running had more differences in muscle contraction when compared to adults than the other. One may speculate that this difference in muscle activity may have caused the difference in running pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margit M. Bach
- Department of Human Movement Sciences, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Amsterdam Movement Sciences & Institute of Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Coen S. Zandvoort
- Department of Human Movement Sciences, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Amsterdam Movement Sciences & Institute of Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Germana Cappellini
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
- Department of Systems Medicine, Center of Space Biomedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Yury Ivanenko
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Lacquaniti
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
- Department of Systems Medicine, Center of Space Biomedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Andreas Daffertshofer
- Department of Human Movement Sciences, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Amsterdam Movement Sciences & Institute of Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Nadia Dominici
- Department of Human Movement Sciences, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Amsterdam Movement Sciences & Institute of Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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12
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Dataset of lower extremity joint angles, moments and forces in distance running. Heliyon 2022; 8:e11517. [DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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Kim Y, Bulea TC, Damiano DL. External walking environment differentially affects muscle synergies in children with cerebral palsy and typical development. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:976100. [PMID: 36211124 PMCID: PMC9540389 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.976100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite external environmental changes in walking, such as manipulating gait speed, previous studies have shown that the underlying muscle synergy structures (synergy weights or vectors) rarely vary. The purpose of this study is to examine if external environmental changes to the walking task influence muscle synergies in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and/or typical development (TD). To identify muscle synergies, we extracted muscle synergies from eight children with CP and eight age-matched TD in three treadmill walking conditions, e.g., baseline (adjusted to individual comfortable walking speed), variable speed (VS), or restricted foot width (RW). Then, we grouped similar muscle synergies using k-mean clustering and discriminant analyses from all datasets of individual synergy structures. Proportion tests exhibited six clusters of muscle synergies predominantly arising from children with CP and four clusters from children with TD. Also, the proportion of muscle synergies was significantly different in four of the CP-preferred clusters across conditions. Specifically, the proportion of the baseline condition was significantly different from VS and RW conditions in one and two clusters, respectively. The proportion was significantly different between VS and RW conditions in four clusters. Cadence and step lengths differed across conditions but not groups which makes the group differences in proportion even more notable. In contrast, step width, while significantly lower in CP, did not differ across conditions. Our findings demonstrate that muscle synergies in children with CP are more sensitive to changes in the external walking environment than in typically developing children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yushin Kim
- Department of Sports Rehabilitation, Cheongju University, Cheongju, South Korea
- *Correspondence: Yushin Kim,
| | - Thomas C. Bulea
- Neurorehabilitation and Biomechanics Research Section, Rehabilitation Medicine Department, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Diane L. Damiano
- Neurorehabilitation and Biomechanics Research Section, Rehabilitation Medicine Department, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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14
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Santuz A, Janshen L, Brüll L, Munoz-Martel V, Taborri J, Rossi S, Arampatzis A. Sex-specific tuning of modular muscle activation patterns for locomotion in young and older adults. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0269417. [PMID: 35658057 PMCID: PMC9165881 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that including sex as a biological variable is of crucial importance to promote rigorous, repeatable and reproducible science. In spite of this, the body of literature that accounts for the sex of participants in human locomotion studies is small and often produces controversial results. Here, we investigated the modular organization of muscle activation patterns for human locomotion using the concept of muscle synergies with a double purpose: i) uncover possible sex-specific characteristics of motor control and ii) assess whether these are maintained in older age. We recorded electromyographic activities from 13 ipsilateral muscles of the lower limb in young and older adults of both sexes walking (young and old) and running (young) on a treadmill. The data set obtained from the 215 participants was elaborated through non-negative matrix factorization to extract the time-independent (i.e., motor modules) and time-dependent (i.e., motor primitives) coefficients of muscle synergies. We found sparse sex-specific modulations of motor control. Motor modules showed a different contribution of hip extensors, knee extensors and foot dorsiflexors in various synergies. Motor primitives were wider (i.e., lasted longer) in males in the propulsion synergy for walking (but only in young and not in older adults) and in the weight acceptance synergy for running. Moreover, the complexity of motor primitives was similar in younger adults of both sexes, but lower in older females as compared to older males. In essence, our results revealed the existence of small but defined sex-specific differences in the way humans control locomotion and that these are not entirely maintained in older age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Santuz
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Lars Janshen
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Leon Brüll
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Network Aging Research, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Victor Munoz-Martel
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Juri Taborri
- Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Stefano Rossi
- Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Adamantios Arampatzis
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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15
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Lv Y, Xu J, Fang H, Zhang X, Wang Q. Data-Mined Continuous Hip-knee Coordination Mapping with Motion Lag for Lower-limb Prosthesis Control. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2022; 30:1557-1566. [PMID: 35657834 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2022.3179978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Trajectory planning of the knee joint plays an essential role in controlling the lower limb prosthesis. Nowadays, the idea of mapping the trajectory of the healthy limb to the motion trajectory of the prosthetic joint has begun to emerge. However, establishing a simple and intuitive coordination mapping is still challenging. This paper employs the method of experimental data mining to explore such a coordination mapping. The coordination indexes, i.e., the mean absolute relative phase (MARP) and the deviation phase (DP), are obtained from experimental data. Statistical results covering different subjects indicate that the hip motion possesses a stable phase difference with the knee, inspiring us to construct a hip-knee Motion-Lagged Coordination Mapping (MLCM). The MLCM first introduces a time lag to the hip motion to avoid conventional integral or differential calculations. The model in polynomials, which is proved more efficient than Gaussian process regression and neural network learning, is then constructed to represent the mapping from the lagged hip motion to the knee motion. In addition, a strong linear correlation between hip-knee MARP and hip-knee motion lag is discovered for the first time. By using the MLCM, one can generate the knee trajectory for the prosthesis control only via the hip motion of the healthy limb, indicating less sensing and better robustness. Numerical simulations show that the prosthesis can achieve normal gaits at different walking speeds.
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16
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Moiseev SA, Ivanov SM, Gorodnichev RM. The Motor Synergies’ Organization Features at Different Levels of Motor Control during High Coordinated Human’s Movement. J EVOL BIOCHEM PHYS+ 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s0022093022020272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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17
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Moiseev SA, Pukhov AM, Mikhailova EA, Gorodnichev RM. Methodological and Computational Aspects of Extracting Extensive Muscle Synergies in Moderate-Intensity Locomotions. J EVOL BIOCHEM PHYS+ 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s0022093022010094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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18
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Woiczinski M, Lehner C, Esser T, Kistler M, Azqueta M, Leukert J, Bauer L, Kraft E. Influence of Treadmill Design on Gait: Does Treadmill Size Affect Muscle Activation Amplitude? A Musculoskeletal Calculation With Individualized Input Parameters of Gait Analysis. Front Neurol 2022; 13:830762. [PMID: 35309554 PMCID: PMC8924287 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.830762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
With increasing age, gait changes often occur, leading to mobility problems and thus a higher risk of falling. Interest in training at home or at retirement homes has led to the development of “mobile treadmills.” A difference in treadmill surface length may influence walking parameters (i.e., step length) and therefore may affect muscle activation. This led to the question: Does the treadmill size affect the muscle activation, i.e., with the length of the walking surface. The study aimed to investigate the influence of treadmill size, i.e., length of the walking surface, on gait pattern and to determine differences in the amplitude of muscle activation using a participant-specific musculoskeletal model (AnyBody Technology A/S, Aalborg, Denmark). For a prospective, randomized study gait parameters were collected from 47 healthy participants (aged 50.19 ± 20.58 years) while walking on two different treadmills, a small mobile treadmill (walking surface length 100 cm) and a conventional treadmill (walking surface length 150 cm), at their preferred speed, 2 km/h, and 4 km/h. Muscle activation amplitude patterns were similar between treadmills (M. gastrocnemius medialis: rmean = 0.94, M. gastrocnemius lateralis: rmean = 0.92, M. gluteus medius rmean = 0.90, M. gluteus minimus rmean = 0.94). However, the gait analysis showed a decreased preferred velocity (p < 0.001, z = 4.54), reduced stride length (preferred velocity: p = 0.03, z = −2.17; 2 km/h: p = 0.36, z = 2.10; 4 km/h: p = 0.006, z = 2.76), shorter stride time (2 km/h: p < 0.001, z = 4.65; 4 km/h: p < 0.001, z = 4.15), and higher cadence (2 km/h: p < 0.001, z = −4.20; 4 km/h: p = 0.029, z = −2.18) on the mobile treadmill than on the conventional treadmill. Our observations suggest that the treadmill design (e.g., a 50 cm difference in walking surface length) may not influence muscle activity amplitude during walking. However, the design of the treadmill may influence gait characteristics (e.g., stride length, cadence) of walking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Woiczinski
- Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Musculoskeletal University Center Munich (MUM), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- *Correspondence: Matthias Woiczinski
| | - Carolin Lehner
- Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Musculoskeletal University Center Munich (MUM), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Chair of Epidemiology, Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Thekla Esser
- Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Musculoskeletal University Center Munich (MUM), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Manuel Kistler
- Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Musculoskeletal University Center Munich (MUM), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Monica Azqueta
- Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Musculoskeletal University Center Munich (MUM), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Johannes Leukert
- Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Musculoskeletal University Center Munich (MUM), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Leandra Bauer
- Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Musculoskeletal University Center Munich (MUM), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Eduard Kraft
- Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Musculoskeletal University Center Munich (MUM), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
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19
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Spomer AM, Yan RZ, Schwartz MH, Steele KM. Synergies are minimally affected during emulation of cerebral palsy gait patterns. J Biomech 2022; 133:110953. [PMID: 35092908 PMCID: PMC8916095 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2022.110953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Muscle synergy analysis is commonly used to characterize motor control during dynamic tasks like walking. For clinical populations, such as children with cerebral palsy (CP), synergies are altered compared to nondisabled (ND) peers and have been associated with both function and treatment outcomes. However, the factors that contribute to altered synergies remain unclear. In particular, the extent to which synergies reflect altered biomechanics (e.g., changes in gait) or underlying neurologic injury is debated. To evaluate the effect that altered biomechanics have on synergies, we compared synergy complexity and structure while ND individuals (n = 14) emulated four common CP gait patterns (equinus, equinus-crouch, mild-crouch, and moderate crouch). Secondarily, we compared the similarity of ND synergies during emulation to synergies from a retrospective cohort of individuals with CP walking in similar gait patterns (n = 28 per pattern). During emulation, ND individuals recruited similar synergies as baseline walking. However, pattern-specific deviations in synergy activations and complexity emerged. In particular, equinus gait altered plantarflexor activation timing and reduced synergy complexity. Importantly, ND synergies during emulation were distinct from those observed in CP for all gait patterns. These results suggest that altered gait patterns are not primarily driving the changes in synergies observed in CP, highlighting the value of using synergies as a tool to capture patient-specific differences in motor control. However, they also highlight the sensitivity of both synergy activations and complexity to altered biomechanics, which should be considered when using these measures in clinical care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa M Spomer
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Robin Z Yan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Michael H Schwartz
- James R. Gage Center for Gait & Motion Analysis, Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, Saint Paul, MN, USA; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Katherine M Steele
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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20
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Hallett M, DelRosso LM, Elble R, Ferri R, Horak FB, Lehericy S, Mancini M, Matsuhashi M, Matsumoto R, Muthuraman M, Raethjen J, Shibasaki H. Evaluation of movement and brain activity. Clin Neurophysiol 2021; 132:2608-2638. [PMID: 34488012 PMCID: PMC8478902 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2021.04.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Clinical neurophysiology studies can contribute important information about the physiology of human movement and the pathophysiology and diagnosis of different movement disorders. Some techniques can be accomplished in a routine clinical neurophysiology laboratory and others require some special equipment. This review, initiating a series of articles on this topic, focuses on the methods and techniques. The methods reviewed include EMG, EEG, MEG, evoked potentials, coherence, accelerometry, posturography (balance), gait, and sleep studies. Functional MRI (fMRI) is also reviewed as a physiological method that can be used independently or together with other methods. A few applications to patients with movement disorders are discussed as examples, but the detailed applications will be the subject of other articles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Hallett
- Human Motor Control Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | | | - Rodger Elble
- Department of Neurology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL, USA
| | | | - Fay B Horak
- Department of Neurology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Stephan Lehericy
- Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Centre de NeuroImagerie de Recherche (CENIR), Team "Movement, Investigations and Therapeutics" (MOV'IT), INSERM U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Martina Mancini
- Department of Neurology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Masao Matsuhashi
- Department of Epilepsy, Movement Disorders and Physiology, Kyoto University Graduate, School of Medicine, Japan
| | - Riki Matsumoto
- Division of Neurology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan
| | - Muthuraman Muthuraman
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Biomedical Statistics and Multimodal Signal Processing unit, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Jan Raethjen
- Neurology Outpatient Clinic, Preusserstr. 1-9, 24105 Kiel, Germany
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21
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Cruz-Montecinos C, Pérez-Alenda S, Cerda M, Maas H. Modular reorganization of gait in chronic but not in artificial knee joint constraint. J Neurophysiol 2021; 126:516-531. [PMID: 34133242 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00418.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
It is currently unknown if modular reorganization does occur if not the central nervous system, but the musculoskeletal system is affected. The aims of this study were to investigate 1) the effects of an artificial knee joint constraint on the modular organization of gait in healthy subjects; and 2) the differences in modular organization between healthy subjects with an artificial knee joint constraint and people with a similar but chronic knee joint constraint. Eleven healthy subjects and eight people with a chronic knee joint constraint walked overground at 1 m/s. The healthy subjects also walked with a constraint limiting knee joint movement to 20°. The total variance accounted (tVAF) for one to four synergies and modular organization were assessed using surface electromyography from 11 leg muscles. The distribution of number of synergies were not significantly different between groups. The tVAF and the motor modules were not significantly affected by the artificial knee constraint. A higher tVAF for one and two synergies, as well as merging of motor modules were observed in the chronic knee constraint group. We conclude that in the short-term a knee constraint does not affect the modular organization of gait, but in the long-term a knee constraint results in modular reorganization. These results indicate that merging of motor modules may also occur when changes in the mechanics of the musculoskeletal system is the primary cause of the motor impairment.NEW & NOTEWORTHY It is currently unknown if modular reorganization does occur if not the central nervous system, but the musculoskeletal system is affected. This study showed that in the short-term a knee constraint does not affect the modular organization of gait, but in the long-term a knee constraint results in modular reorganization. These results indicate that modular reorganization may also occur when changes in the mechanics of the musculoskeletal system is the primary cause of the motor impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Cruz-Montecinos
- Physiotherapy in Motion Multispeciality Research Group (PTinMOTION), Department of Physiotherapy, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain.,Department of Human Movement Sciences, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Laboratory of Clinical Biomechanics, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Sofía Pérez-Alenda
- Physiotherapy in Motion Multispeciality Research Group (PTinMOTION), Department of Physiotherapy, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Mauricio Cerda
- Integrative Biology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Center for Medical Informatics and Telemedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Santiago, Chile
| | - Huub Maas
- Department of Human Movement Sciences, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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22
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Bach MM, Daffertshofer A, Dominici N. Muscle Synergies in Children Walking and Running on a Treadmill. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:637157. [PMID: 34040508 PMCID: PMC8143190 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.637157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Muscle synergies reflect the presence of a common neural input to multiple muscles. Steering small sets of synergies is commonly believed to simplify the control of complex motor tasks like walking and running. When these locomotor patterns emerge, it is likely that synergies emerge as well. We hence hypothesized that in children learning to run the number of accompanying synergies increases and that some of the synergies' activities display a temporal shift related to a reduced stance phase as observed in adults. We investigated the development of locomotion in 23 children aged 2-9 years of age and compared them with seven young adults. Muscle activity of 15 bilateral leg, trunk, and arm muscles, ground reaction forces, and kinematics were recorded during comfortable treadmill walking and running, followed by a muscle synergy analysis. We found that toddlers (2-3.5 years) and preschoolers (3.5-6.5 years) utilize a "walk-run strategy" when learning to run: they managed the fastest speeds on the treadmill by combining double support (DS) and flight phases (FPs). In particular the activity duration of the medial gastrocnemius muscle was weakly correlated with age. The number of synergies across groups and conditions needed to cover sufficient data variation ranged between four and eight. The number of synergies tended to be smaller in toddlers than it did in preschoolers and school-age children but the adults had the lowest number for both conditions. Against our expectations, the age groups did not differ significantly in the timing or duration of synergies. We believe that the increase in the number of muscle synergies in older children relates to motor learning and exploration. The ability to run with a FP is clearly associated with an increase in the number of muscle synergies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margit M Bach
- Department of Human Movement Sciences, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Amsterdam Movement Sciences & Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Andreas Daffertshofer
- Department of Human Movement Sciences, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Amsterdam Movement Sciences & Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Nadia Dominici
- Department of Human Movement Sciences, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Amsterdam Movement Sciences & Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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23
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Kim Y, Bulea TC, Damiano DL. Greater Reliance on Cerebral Palsy-Specific Muscle Synergies During Gait Relates to Poorer Temporal-Spatial Performance Measures. Front Physiol 2021; 12:630627. [PMID: 33708139 PMCID: PMC7940679 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.630627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Children with cerebral palsy typically exhibit reduced complexity of muscle coordination patterns during walking; however, the specific patterns that characterize their gait abnormalities are still not well documented. This study aimed to identify the specific repertoire of muscle coordination patterns in children with CP during walking compared to same-aged peers without CP and their relationships to gait performance. To identify muscle coordination patterns, we extracted muscle synergies from 10 children with CP and 10 age-matched typically developing children (TD). K-mean clustering and discriminant analyses of all extracted synergies were used to group similar synergies. Then, weight-averaged z-scores were quantified for each cluster to determine their group-specific level. In this cohort, 10 of the 17 distinct clusters were largely CP-specific while six clusters were seen mainly in TD, and one was non-specific. CP-specific clusters generally showed merging of two TD synergies, excessive antagonist co-activation, decreased muscle activation compared to TD, and complex or atypical pattern. Significant correlations were found between weight-averaged z-scores and step length asymmetry, cadence asymmetry, self-selected treadmill speed and AP-COM displacement of the pelvis such that greater CP-specificity of muscle synergies was related to poorer performance, thus indicating that CP-specific synergies can influence motor dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yushin Kim
- Major of Sports Health Rehabilitation, Cheongju University, Cheongju, South Korea
| | - Thomas C Bulea
- Functional and Applied Biomechanics Section, Rehabilitation Medicine Department, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Diane L Damiano
- Functional and Applied Biomechanics Section, Rehabilitation Medicine Department, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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24
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Validity and Reliability of an Instrumented Treadmill with an Accelerometry System for Assessment of Spatio-Temporal Parameters and Impact Transmission. SENSORS 2021; 21:s21051758. [PMID: 33806324 PMCID: PMC7961446 DOI: 10.3390/s21051758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2021] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Running retraining programs focused on concurrent feedback of acceleration impacts have been demonstrated to be a good strategy to reduce running-related injuries (RRI), as well as to improve running economy and reduce acceleration impacts and injury running incidence. Traditionally, impacts have been registered by mean of accelerometers attached directly to the athletes, which is inaccessible to the entire population, because it requires laboratory conditions. This study investigated the validity and reliability of a new device integrated directly into the treadmill, compared to a traditional acceleration impact system. Thirty healthy athletes with no history of RRI were tested on two separate days over the instrumented treadmill (AccTrea) and simultaneously with an acceleration impact system attached to the participant (AccAthl). AccTrea was demonstrated to be a valid and reliable tool for measuring spatio-temporal parameters like step length (validity intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.94; reliability ICC = 0.92), step time (validity ICC = 0.95; reliability ICC = 0.96), and step frequency (validity ICC = 0.95; reliability ICC = 0.96) during running. Peak acceleration impact variables showed a high reliability for the left (reliability ICC = 0.88) and right leg (reliability ICC = 0.85), and peak impact asymmetry showed a modest validity (ICC = 0.55). These results indicated that the AccTrea system is a valid and reliable way to assess spatio-temporal variables, and a reliable tool for measuring acceleration impacts during running.
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25
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Kafri M, Weiss PL, Zeilig G, Bondi M, Baum-Cohen I, Kizony R. Performance in complex life situations: effects of age, cognition, and walking speed in virtual versus real life environments. J Neuroeng Rehabil 2021; 18:30. [PMID: 33557894 PMCID: PMC7871373 DOI: 10.1186/s12984-021-00830-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Virtual reality (VR) enables objective and accurate measurement of behavior in ecologically valid and safe environments, while controlling the delivery of stimuli and maintaining standardized measurement protocols. Despite this potential, studies that compare virtual and real-world performance of complex daily activities are scarce. This study aimed to compare cognitive strategies and gait characteristics of young and older healthy adults as they engaged in a complex task while navigating in a real shopping mall and a high-fidelity virtual replica of the mall. Methods Seventeen older adults (mean (SD) age = 71.2 (5.6) years, 64% males) and 17 young adults (26.7 (3.7) years, 35% males) participated. In two separate sessions they performed the Multiple Errands Test (MET) in a real-world mall or the Virtual MET (VMET) in the virtual environment. The real-world environment was a small shopping area and the virtual environment was created within the CAREN™ (Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment) Integrated Reality System. The performance of the task was assessed using motor and physiological measures (gait parameters and heart rate), MET or VMET time and score, and navigation efficiency (cognitive performance and strategy). Between (age groups) and within (environment) differences were analyzed with ANOVA repeated measures. Results There were no significant age effects for any of the gait parameters but there were significant environment effects such that both age groups walked faster (F(1,32) = 154.96, p < 0.0001) with higher step lengths (F(1,32) = 86.36, p < 0.0001), had lower spatial and temporal gait variability (F(1,32) = 95.71–36.06, p < 0.0001) and lower heart rate (F(1,32) = 13.40, p < 0.01) in the real-world. There were significant age effects for MET/VMET scores (F(1,32) = 19.77, p < 0.0001) and total time (F(1,32) = 11.74, p < 0.05) indicating better performance of the younger group, and a significant environment effect for navigation efficiency (F(1,32) = 7.6, p < 0.01) that was more efficient in the virtual environment. Conclusions This comprehensive, ecological approach in the measurement of performance during tasks reminiscent of complex life situations showed the strengths of using virtual environments in assessing cognitive aspects and limitations of assessing motor aspects of performance. Difficulties by older adults were apparent mainly in the cognitive aspects indicating a need to evaluate them during complex task performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Kafri
- Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Social Welfare & Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
| | - Patrice L Weiss
- Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Social Welfare & Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Gabriel Zeilig
- Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Health Professional Faculty, Ono Academic College, Kiryat Ono, Israel
| | - Moshe Bondi
- Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Ilanit Baum-Cohen
- "Steps" Center for Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.,Occupational Therapy, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Rachel Kizony
- Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Social Welfare & Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.,Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
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26
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Janshen L, Santuz A, Arampatzis A. Muscle Synergies in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Reveal Demand-Specific Alterations in the Modular Organization of Locomotion. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 14:593365. [PMID: 33584221 PMCID: PMC7873056 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.593365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
For patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), deficits in gait significantly reduce the quality of life. Using the concept of muscle synergies, this study investigated the modular organization of motor control during level and inclined walking in MS patients (MSP) compared with healthy participants (HP) to identify the potential demand-specific adjustments in motor control in MSP. We hypothesized a widening of the time-dependent activation patterns (motor primitives) in MSP to increase the overlap of temporally-adjacent muscle synergies, especially during inclined walking, as a strategy to increase the robustness of motor control, thus compensating pathology-related deficits. We analyzed temporal gait parameters and muscle synergies from myoelectric signals of 13 ipsilateral leg muscles using non-negative matrix factorization. Compared with HP, MSP demonstrated a widening in the time-dependent coefficients (motor primitives), as well as altered relative muscle contribution (motor modules), in certain synergies during level and inclined walking. Moreover, inclined walking revealed a demand-specific adjustment in the modular organization in MSP, resulting in an extra synergy compared with HP. This further increased the overlap of temporally-adjacent muscle synergies to provide sufficient robustness in motor control to accomplish the more demanding motor task while coping with pathology-related motor deficits during walking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Janshen
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Alessandro Santuz
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Adamantios Arampatzis
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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27
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Santuz A, Ekizos A, Kunimasa Y, Kijima K, Ishikawa M, Arampatzis A. Lower complexity of motor primitives ensures robust control of high-speed human locomotion. Heliyon 2020; 6:e05377. [PMID: 33163662 PMCID: PMC7610320 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Revised: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Walking and running are mechanically and energetically different locomotion modes. For selecting one or another, speed is a parameter of paramount importance. Yet, both are likely controlled by similar low-dimensional neuronal networks that reflect in patterned muscle activations called muscle synergies. Here, we challenged human locomotion by having our participants walk and run at a very broad spectrum of submaximal and maximal speeds. The synergistic activations of lower limb locomotor muscles were obtained through decomposition of electromyographic data via non-negative matrix factorization. We analyzed the duration and complexity (via fractal analysis) over time of motor primitives, the temporal components of muscle synergies. We found that the motor control of high-speed locomotion was so challenging that the neuromotor system was forced to produce wider and less complex muscle activation patterns. The motor modules, or time-independent coefficients, were redistributed as locomotion speed changed. These outcomes show that humans cope with the challenges of high-speed locomotion by adapting the neuromotor dynamics through a set of strategies that allow for efficient creation and control of locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Santuz
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Antonis Ekizos
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Yoko Kunimasa
- Graduate School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences, 590-0459 Osaka, Japan
| | - Kota Kijima
- Graduate School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences, 590-0459 Osaka, Japan
| | - Masaki Ishikawa
- Graduate School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences, 590-0459 Osaka, Japan
| | - Adamantios Arampatzis
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
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