Distinct motor strategies underlying split-belt adaptation in human walking and running

The aim of the present study was to elucidate the adaptive and de-adaptive nature of human running on a split-belt treadmill. The degree of adaptation and de-adaptation was compared with those in walking by calculating the antero-posterior component of the ground reaction force (GRF). Adaptation to walking and running on a split-belt resulted in a prominent asymmetry in the movement pattern upon return to the normal belt condition, while the two components of the GRF showed different behaviors depending on the gaits. The anterior braking component showed prominent adaptive and de-adaptive behaviors in both gaits. The posterior propulsive component, on the other hand, exhibited such behavior only in running, while that in walking showed only short-term aftereffect (lasting less than 10 seconds) accompanied by largely reactive responses. These results demonstrate a possible difference in motor strategies (that is, the use of reactive feedback and adaptive feedforward control) by the central nervous system (CNS) for split-belt locomotor adaptation between walking and running. The present results provide basic knowledge on neural control of human walking and running as well as possible strategies for gait training in athletic and rehabilitation scenes.