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Fast responses to stepping-target displacements when walking
Yajie Zhang1,2, Jeroen B J Smeets2, Eli Brenner2
1Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, FaBer, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
The Journal of Physiology
|March 5, 2020
Summary
Humans can quickly adjust foot placement during walking, similar to arm movements. This rapid response corrects for unexpected changes in stepping targets, demonstrating precise motor control in locomotion.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomechanics
- Motor Control
Background:
- Goal-directed arm movements exhibit rapid adjustments to target shifts (approx. 100 ms latency).
- Investigating similar rapid adjustments in foot placement during locomotion is crucial for understanding motor control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if fast, goal-directed adjustments occur in foot placement during walking when stepping targets are unexpectedly altered.
- To compare the motor control mechanisms of foot movements during walking with those of arm movements.
Main Methods:
- Participants walked on a treadmill at 3 km/h with projected stepping targets.
- Stepping targets were unexpectedly displaced 2.5 cm medio-laterally during the swing phase.
- Foot trajectory and muscle activation changes were analyzed in response to target displacement.
Main Results:
- Participants demonstrated rapid adjustments in foot trajectory with a latency of approximately 155 ms.
- Muscle activation changes occurred 123 ms after perturbation, initiating the response.
- The adjustments effectively corrected about 80% of the target displacement.
Conclusions:
- Foot movements during walking can be adjusted rapidly to unexpected changes in stepping targets, similar to goal-directed arm movements.
- These findings suggest that similar neural control mechanisms underlie goal-directed movements of the limbs when balance is maintained.
