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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 11, 2025

Experimental Methods to Study Human Postural Control
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Hypothetical control of postural sway.

Madhur Mangalam1, Damian G Kelty-Stephen2

  • 1Department of Physical Therapy, Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

Journal of the Royal Society, Interface
|March 31, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Quiet standing involves intermittent control processes. Postural control relies on cascade-like interactions across timescales, influencing non-Gaussian properties and stabilizing or destabilizing posture.

Keywords:
cascadescentre of pressurefluctuationspostural controlquiet stancescale invariance

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Area of Science:

  • Biomechanics
  • Human postural control
  • Dynamical systems theory

Background:

  • Quiet standing exhibits intermittent variability, prompting interpretations related to control processes and cascade dynamics.
  • Understanding the multi-timescale interactions in postural control is crucial for explaining observed variability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the multi-timescale dynamics of postural control during quiet standing.
  • To analyze the non-Gaussian distributional properties of postural sway across different timescales.
  • To examine how destabilizing conditions affect postural control mechanisms.

Main Methods:

  • Multiscale probability density function (PDF) analysis was employed to analyze postural sway data.
  • Quiet standing was assessed on both stable and unstable surfaces, with and without visual input (eyes open/closed).
  • Linear and nonlinear indices of postural sway were calculated to quantify variability.

Main Results:

  • Quiet standing on a stable surface showed a crossover from low non-Gaussianity (inertial control) to higher non-Gaussianity at longer timescales (feedback control).
  • Cascade dynamics, characterized by linear decay, were observed at medium to longer timescales.
  • Destabilizing conditions (unstable surface, eyes closed) attenuated inertial control and enhanced feedback-based control, strengthening the appearance of cascade dynamics.

Conclusions:

  • Postural control during quiet standing involves complex cascade-like interactions across multiple timescales.
  • Non-Gaussian properties of postural sway are modulated by both intrinsic control and extrinsic constraints.
  • Shorter timescale processes can be recruited by longer timescale postural corrections, potentially destabilizing posture under certain task constraints.