Authors: M Wuehr R Schniepp C Pradhan J Ilmberger M Strupp T Brandt K Jahn
Publish Date: 2012/10/30
Volume: 224, Issue: 2, Pages: 287-294
Abstract
Healthy persons exhibit relatively small temporal and spatial gait variability when walking unimpeded In contrast patients with a sensory deficit eg polyneuropathy show an increased gait variability that depends on speed and is associated with an increased fall risk The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of vision in gait stabilization by determining the effects of withdrawing visual information eyes closed on gait variability at different locomotion speeds Ten healthy subjects 322 ± 79 years 5 women walked on a treadmill for 5min periods at their preferred walking speed and at 20 40 70 and 80 of maximal walking speed during the conditions of walking with eyes open EO and with eyes closed EC The coefficient of variation CV and fractal dimension α of the fluctuations in stride time stride length and base width were computed and analyzed Withdrawing visual information increased the base width CV for all walking velocities p 0001 The effects of absent visual information on CV and α of stride time and stride length were most pronounced during slow locomotion p 0001 and declined during fast walking speeds The results indicate that visual feedback control is used to stabilize the mediolateral ie base width gait parameters at all speed sections In contrast sensory feedback control in the foreaft direction ie stride time and stride length depends on speed Sensory feedback contributes most to foreaft gait stabilization during slow locomotion whereas passive biomechanical mechanisms and an automated central pattern generation appear to control fast locomotionThe authors thank Judy Benson for copyediting the article The work was supported by the German Research Foundation Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG JA1087/11 and the German Hertie Foundation and the Federal Ministry for Education and Science BMBF 01EO0901 of Germany
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