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Head control strategies during whole-body turns
David Solomon1, Vijay Kumar, R Adam Jenkins
1Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. dsolomon@dizzy.med.jhu.edu
Experimental Brain Research
|March 1, 2006
Summary
Human head and pelvis movements during turns were analyzed. The head moves faster than the pelvis, especially with visual cues, suggesting coordinated movement strategies for gaze shifts.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Human Movement Analysis
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Understanding body segment motion during turns is crucial for analyzing head control strategies.
- Whole-body turns involve complex interactions between body-in-space and head-on-body rotation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To kinematically describe head and pelvis rotation during step turns.
- To investigate differences in turn kinematics with and without visual targets.
Main Methods:
- 20 healthy subjects performed step turns toward visual or remembered targets.
- Kinematic data of head and pelvis rotation were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Peak head velocity in space was significantly higher than pelvis velocity, particularly when turning toward a visible target.
- Head movement relative to the pelvis showed a temporal pattern: initial in-phase rotation, followed by en bloc rotation, and later relative stabilization.
- Absence of a visual target slowed peak head velocities but did not significantly alter pelvis velocities.
Conclusions:
- The observed head-pelvis coordination during turns resembles eye-in-head movements during gaze shifts.
- Models of gaze reorienting behavior should incorporate strategies for coordinated multi-segmental movement.
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