Quantifying variability in phase portraits: application to gait ontogeny
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Updated: Jul 9, 2026

3D Kinematic Gait Analysis for Preclinical Studies in Rodents
Published on: August 3, 2019
John D Polk1, Jesse Spencer-Smith, Louis DiBerardino
1Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 109 Davenport Hall, 607 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, United States. jdpolk@uiuc.edu
Abstract:
We describe new Fourier- and shape-based methods for quantifying variation in phase-portraits, and re-analyze previously-published ontogenetic and adult data [Clark, J. E., & Phillips, S. J. (1993). A longitudinal study of intralimb coordination in the first year of independent walking: A dynamical systems approach. Child Development, 64, 1143-1157]. Results show considerable variation between individuals and through development, but after 6 months of walking some gait patterns stabilize.

