Invariance of locomotor trajectories across visual and gait direction conditions

We studied the influence of vision (walking with or without vision) and of gait direction (walking forward or backward) on goal-oriented locomotion in humans. Subjects had to walk, in a free environment, from a given position and orientation towards a distant arrow which constrained their final position and orientation. We found that the average trajectories were mostly similar across the tested conditions, which suggests that locomotor trajectories are generated at a high cognitive level and, to some extent, independently of the detailed sensory and motor implementation levels. The variability profiles around the average trajectories were similar across the gait direction conditions but differed greatly across the visual conditions, indicating the existence of motor-independent and vision-dependent control mechanisms. Taken together, our observations argue further in favour of a top-down implementation of goal-oriented locomotion, where the control of locomotion is specified at the level of whole-body trajectories and then implemented through specific motor strategies.