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Related Experiment Videos

Voluntary control of postural equilibrium patterns.

John J Buchanan1, Fay B Horak

  • 1Department of Health and Kinesiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA. jbuchanan@hlkn.tamu.edu

Behavioural Brain Research
|August 6, 2003
PubMed
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Switching between whole-body movements relies on sensory integration. This study found that while sensory and mechanical factors influence movement transitions, upper-body control limitations emerge at higher frequencies, especially without vision, impacting postural stability.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Biomechanics
  • Human Motor Control

Background:

  • Voluntary whole-body movement transitions depend on integrating visual, vestibular, and somatosensory inputs.
  • Understanding the influence of sensory ranges and mechanical limits on motor set-switching is crucial for human movement research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how functional sensory ranges and mechanical constraints affect the ability to voluntarily switch between distinct whole-body postural patterns.
  • To examine the role of vision in executing these postural transitions under varying oscillation frequencies.

Main Methods:

  • Subjects performed voluntary transitions between head-fixed-to-surface and head-fixed-in-space postural patterns on an oscillating platform.
  • Experiments were conducted with and without vision across five oscillation frequencies (0.2-1Hz) in the anterior-posterior direction.
Keywords:
Non-programmatic

Related Experiment Videos

  • Center of pressure (CoP) and upper-trunk kinematics were analyzed to assess postural pattern execution.

    • Main Results:

    • Participants successfully produced appropriate center of pressure (CoP)-platform phase relationships for both patterns, with or without vision, across all tested frequencies.
    • Upper-trunk kinematics indicated failure to consistently achieve the head-fixed-to-surface pattern at frequencies ≥0.6Hz, particularly without vision.
    • The head-fixed-in-space pattern was more consistently produced, especially with visual input.

    Conclusions:

    • Separate control mechanisms exist for upper- and lower-body motion during voluntary movement transitions.
    • Functional sensory ranges and mechanical constraints significantly modulate the execution of whole-body movements by influencing these control processes.
    • Findings suggest potential neurological substrates for motor set-switching and highlight the protocol's utility as a diagnostic tool for postural deficits.