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Related Concept Videos

Indirect Motor Pathways01:22

Indirect Motor Pathways

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The indirect motor or extrapyramidal pathways originate in the brainstem, the lower portion of the brain that connects it to the spinal cord. They consist of several distinct tracts, each with specialized functions. The four main tracts of the indirect motor pathways are the vestibulospinal tract, the reticulospinal tract, the tectospinal tract, and the rubrospinal tract.
The vestibulospinal tract originates in the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. The vestibular system detects changes in...
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Related Experiment Video

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Experimental Methods to Study Human Postural Control
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Visual field motion during a body pull affects compensatory standing and stepping responses.

Rebecca J St George1,2, Irene Di Giulio1,3, Brian L Day1

  • 1Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.

The Journal of Physiology
|February 29, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Altered visual motion speed during a perturbation influences stepping responses. Slower apparent visual motion reduces the force needed to step by altering the initial in-place postural response.

Keywords:
automatic postural responsebalancecompensatory steppingoptic flowperturbationvision

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Area of Science:

  • Human movement science
  • Neuroscience
  • Biomechanics

Background:

  • Maintaining balance during unexpected perturbations is crucial for preventing falls.
  • Visual input plays a significant role in modulating postural control strategies.
  • The specific influence of visual motion perception on the decision to step remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how visual motion, synchronized with a mechanical perturbation, affects compensatory postural responses during standing.
  • To determine if manipulating the apparent speed of visual motion influences the threshold for taking a recovery step.
  • To examine the impact of visual motion on in-place postural adjustments.

Main Methods:

  • Healthy adults stood while experiencing unexpected forward or backward shoulder pulls.
  • The visual field rotated forwards or backwards, synchronized with the pull, to manipulate apparent body velocity (SLOW, FAST, NATURAL conditions).
  • Kinematic, kinetic, and electromyographic data were collected to analyze postural responses and stepping behavior.

Main Results:

  • A reduced pull force was required to initiate a step when visual motion appeared slower than actual body motion (SLOW condition).
  • The initial in-place postural response was diminished in the SLOW condition, leading to greater body displacement.
  • Visual motion alone (without perturbation) elicited smaller and later postural responses compared to when paired with a perturbation.

Conclusions:

  • The apparent speed of the visual environment during a perturbation significantly influences compensatory stepping.
  • Visual motion modulates the initial in-place postural response, indirectly affecting the stepping threshold.
  • These findings highlight the integration of visual and somatosensory information in dynamic postural control.