Tightening Up the Control of Treadmill Walking: Effects of Maneuverability Range and Acoustic Pacing on Stride-to-Stride Fluctuations.

ABSTRACT: The correlational structure of stride-to-stride fluctuations differs between healthy and pathological gait. Uncorrelated and anti-persistent stride-to-stride fluctuations are believed to indicate pathology whereas persistence represents healthy functioning. However, this reading can be questioned because the correlational structure changes with task constraints, like acoustic pacing, signifying the tightness of control over particular gait parameters. We tested this "tightness-of-control interpretation" by varying the maneuverability range during treadmill walking (small, intermediate, and large walking areas), with and without acoustic pacing. Stride-speed fluctuations exhibited anti-persistence, suggesting that stride speeds were tightly controlled, with a stronger degree of anti-persist

SUBMITTER: Roerdink M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6440225 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature