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Changes of human movement complexity during maturation: quantitative assessment using multiscale entropy
1a Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering "Guglielmo Marconi" , University of Bologna , Bologna , Italy.
Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering
|March 10, 2018
Summary
Movement complexity, measured by Multiscale Entropy (MSE), increases with age during challenging tandem walking but decreases during automatic natural walking, revealing task-specific developmental changes.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanical analysis
- Human movement science
- Developmental kinesiology
Background:
- Movement complexity, the ability to use varied strategies for tasks, is expected to rise with maturation.
- Multiscale Entropy (MSE) quantifies signal complexity across time scales, applied here to trunk acceleration.
- Previous studies showed decreasing MSE with age during natural walking (NW), possibly due to increased gait automaticity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if the decrease in MSE during NW is task-dependent and related to automaticity.
- To investigate movement complexity changes across maturation using a non-paradigmatic task (tandem walking, TW).
Main Methods:
- Trunk acceleration data were collected from children, adolescents, and young adults during both TW and NW.
- Multiscale Entropy (MSE) was calculated for kinematic signals from both walking tasks.
- Age-related changes in MSE were analyzed for TW and NW, particularly on the sagittal plane.
Main Results:
- MSE significantly increased with age during tandem walking (TW), supporting the hypothesis of increasing complexity.
- MSE decreased with age during natural walking (NW), consistent with increased gait automaticity.
- Sagittal plane MSE in NW was approximately half that of TW in adults, highlighting task-specific complexity differences.
Conclusions:
- Multiscale Entropy (MSE) is sensitive to age-related changes in movement complexity.
- The observed decrease in MSE during NW is likely due to increased gait automaticity, not a lack of developmental complexity.
- Tandem walking (TW) serves as a better reference for assessing maturation-related increases in movement complexity.
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