Gait Speed Modulations Are Proportional to Grades of Virtual Visual Slopes-A Virtual Reality Study.

ABSTRACT: Gait is a complex mechanism relying on integration of several sensory inputs such as vestibular, proprioceptive, and visual cues to maintain stability while walking. Often humans adapt their gait to changes in surface inclinations, and this is typically achieved by modulating walking speed according to the inclination in order to counteract the gravitational forces, either uphill (exertion effect) or downhill (braking effect). The contribution of vision to these speed modulations is not fully understood. Here we assessed gait speed effects by parametrically manipulating the discrepancy between virtual visual inclination and the actual surface inclination (aka visual incongruence). Fifteen healthy participants walked in a large-scale virtual reality (VR) system on a self-paced treadmill syn

SUBMITTER: Benady A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8425350 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature