Nonlinear Analysis of Human Movement Dynamics Offers New Insights in the Development of Motor Control During Childhood

2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Cristina Bisi ◽  
Paola Tamburini ◽  
Giulia Pacini Panebianco ◽  
Rita Stagni
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Postural Control ◽  
Motor Development ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Human Movement ◽  
Multiscale Entropy ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Trunk Acceleration ◽  
Motor Complexity

When aiming at assessing motor control development, natural walking (NW), and tandem walking (TW) are two locomotor tasks that allow analyzing different characteristics of motor control performance. NW is the reference locomotor task, expected to become more and more automatic with age. TW is a nonparadigmatic task used in clinics to highlight eventual impairments and to evaluate how a child deals with a new challenging motor experience. This work aims at investigating motor development in school-aged children, by assessing quantitatively their performance during TW and NW. Eighty children (6–10 years) participated in the study. Trunk acceleration data and nonlinear measures (recurrence quantification analysis (RQA), and multiscale entropy (MSE)) were used to characterize trunk postural control and motor complexity. The results were analyzed with respect to age and standard clinical assessment of TW (number of correct consecutive steps), by means of Spearman correlation coefficients. RQA and MSE allowed highlighting age-related changes in both postural control of the trunk and motor complexity, while classic standard assessment of TW resulted uniformly distributed in the different age groups. The present results suggest this quantitative approach as relevant when assessing the motor development in schoolchildren and complementary to standard clinical tests.

scholarly journals Measuring Prospective Motor Control in Action Development

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janna M. Gottwald
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Motor Development ◽  
Motion Tracking ◽  
Peak Velocity ◽  
Action Planning ◽  
Human Movement ◽  
Fixed Time ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Kinematic Measures ◽  
Movement Unit

This article critically reviews kinematic measures of prospective motor control. Prospective motor control, the ability to anticipatorily adjust movements with respect to task demands and action goals, is an important process involved in action planning. In manual object manipulation tasks, prospective motor control has been studied in various ways, mainly using motion tracking. For this matter, it is crucial to pinpoint the early part of the movement that purely reflects prospective (feed-forward) processes, but not feedback influences from the unfolding movement. One way of defining this period is to rely on a fixed time criterion; another is to base it flexibly on the inherent structure of each movement itself. Velocity—as one key characteristic of human movement—offers such a possibility and describes the structure of movements in a meaningful way. Here, I argue for the latter way of investigating prospective motor control by applying the measure of peak velocity of the first movement unit. I further discuss movement units and their significance in motor development of infants and contrast the introduced measure with other measures related to peak velocity and duration.

Sex- and age-related differences in bilirubin concentrations in serum.

1984 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 1380-1382 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Rosenthal ◽  
M Pincus ◽  
D Fink
Keyword(s):  
Serum Bilirubin ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Bile Pigment ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Liver Functions ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Age And Sex

Abstract The relation between age and sex and the concentration of bilirubin in serum was evaluated in 6740 men and 11 215 women, ages 13 to 96 years. Mean serum bilirubin concentrations in the men significantly exceeded values in the women over all age groups examined. Further, mean serum bilirubin concentrations were greatest both in males and females in the 19-24 years age group and then declined to former values, which persisted throughout life. Pearson correlation coefficients for bilirubin with liver function indices (albumin and total protein) and with hemoglobin were low in all ages and in both sexes, suggesting that bilirubin concentrations do not correlate with those liver functions not directly concerned with bile pigment processing.

scholarly journals The Dynamic Motor Control Index as a Marker of Age-Related Neuromuscular Impairment

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley N. Collimore ◽  
Ashlyn J. Aiello ◽  
Ryan T. Pohlig ◽  
Louis N. Awad
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Neuromuscular Control ◽  
Muscle Synergies ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Index Study ◽  
Two Measures ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Young Old ◽  
Neuromuscular Impairment

Biomarkers that can identify age-related decline in walking function have potential to promote healthier aging by triggering timely interventions that can mitigate or reverse impairments. Recent evidence suggests that changes in neuromuscular control precede changes in walking function; however, it is unclear which measures are best suited for identifying age-related changes. In this study, non-negative matrix factorization of electromyography data collected during treadmill walking was used to calculate two measures of the complexity of muscle co-activations during walking for 36 adults: (1) the number of muscle synergies and (2) the dynamic motor control index. Study participants were grouped into young (18–35 years old), young-old (65–74 years old), and old–old (75+ years old) subsets. We found that the dynamic motor control index [χ2(2) = 9.41, p = 0.009], and not the number of muscle synergies [χ2(2) = 5.42, p = 0.067], differentiates between age groups [χ2(4) = 10.62, p = 0.031, Nagelkerke R2 = 0.297]. Moreover, an impairment threshold set at a dynamic motor control index of 90 (i.e., one standard deviation below the young adults) was able to differentiate between age groups [χ2(2) = 9.351, p = 0.009]. The dynamic motor control index identifies age-related differences in neuromuscular complexity not measured by the number of muscle synergies and may have clinical utility as a marker of neuromotor impairment.

scholarly journals Reliability and Concurrent Validity of a Chinese Version of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale Administered to High-Risk Infants in China

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Wang ◽  
Haifeng Li ◽  
Jiangping Wang ◽  
Huiying Jin
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Motor Development ◽  
Concurrent Validity ◽  
Physical Therapist ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Fine Motor ◽  
High Risk Infants

The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) is widely used to screen for delays in motor development in high-risk infants, but its reliability and validity in Chinese infants have not been investigated. To examine the reliability and concurrent validity of AIMS in high-risk infants aged 0-9 months in China, this single-center study enrolled 50 high-risk infants aged 0-9 months (range, 0.17-9.27; average, 4.14±2.02), who were divided into two groups: 0-3 months (n=23) and 4-9 months (n=27). A physical therapist evaluated the infants with AIMS, with each evaluation video-recorded. To examine interrater reliability, two other evaluators calculated AIMS scores by observing the videos. To measure intrarater reliability, the two evaluators rescored AIMS after >1 month, using the videos. Concurrent validity was assessed by comparing results between AIMS and the Peabody Developmental Motor Scale-2 (PDMS-2). For all age groups analyzed (0-3, 4-9, and 0-9 months), intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for AIMS total score were high for both intrarater comparisons (0.811-0.995) and interrater comparisons (0.982-0.997). AIMS total scores were well correlated with all PDMS-2 subtest scores (ICC=0.751-0.977 for reflexes, stationary, locomotion, grasping, and visual-motor integration subsets). However, the fifth percentile of AIMS total score was only moderately correlated with the gross motor quotient, fine motor quotient, and total motor quotient subtests of PDMS-2 (kappa=0.580, 0.601, and 0.724, respectively). AIMS has acceptable reliability and concurrent validity for screening of motor developmental delay in high-risk infants in China.

scholarly journals Age-Related Differences in Muscle Synergy Organization during Step Ascent at Different Heights and Directions

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1987 ◽  
Author(s):  
Remco J. Baggen ◽  
Jaap H. van Dieën ◽  
Evelien Van Roie ◽  
Sabine M. Verschueren ◽  
Georgios Giarmatzis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Neuromuscular Control ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Step Height ◽  
Muscle Synergy ◽  
Age Related

The aim of this study was to explore the underlying age-related differences in dynamic motor control during different step ascent conditions using muscle synergy analysis. Eleven older women (67.0 y ± 2.5) and ten young women (22.5 y ± 1.6) performed stepping in forward and lateral directions at step heights of 10, 20 and 30 cm. Surface electromyography was obtained from 10 lower limb and torso muscles. Non-negative matrix factorization was used to identify sets of (n) synergies across age groups and stepping conditions. In addition, variance accounted for (VAF) by the detected number of synergies was compared to assess complexity of motor control. Finally, correlation coefficients of muscle weightings and between-subject variability of the temporal activation patterns were calculated and compared between age groups and stepping conditions. Four synergies accounted for >85% VAF across age groups and stepping conditions. Age and step height showed a significant negative correlation with VAF during forward stepping but not lateral stepping, with lower VAF indicating higher synergy complexity. Muscle weightings showed higher similarity across step heights in older compared to young women. Neuromuscular control of young and community-dwelling older women could not be differentiated based on the number of synergies extracted. Additional analyses of synergy structure and complexity revealed subtle age- and step-height-related differences, indicating that older women rely on more complex neuromuscular control strategies.

Age-related Multiscale Changes in Brain Signal Variability in Pre-task versus Post-task Resting-state EEG

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 971-984 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongye Wang ◽  
Anthony R. McIntosh ◽  
Natasa Kovacevic ◽  
Maria Karachalios ◽  
Andrea B. Protzner
Keyword(s):  
Resting State ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Young Group ◽  
Multiscale Entropy ◽  
Functional Networks ◽  
Coarse Scale ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Age Related

Recent empirical work suggests that, during healthy aging, the variability of network dynamics changes during task performance. Such variability appears to reflect the spontaneous formation and dissolution of different functional networks. We sought to extend these observations into resting-state dynamics. We recorded EEG in young, middle-aged, and older adults during a “rest–task–rest” design and investigated if aging modifies the interaction between resting-state activity and external stimulus-induced activity. Using multiscale entropy as our measure of variability, we found that, with increasing age, resting-state dynamics shifts from distributed to more local neural processing, especially at posterior sources. In the young group, resting-state dynamics also changed from pre- to post-task, where fine-scale entropy increased in task-positive regions and coarse-scale entropy increased in the posterior cingulate, a key region associated with the default mode network. Lastly, pre- and post-task resting-state dynamics were linked to performance on the intervening task for all age groups, but this relationship became weaker with increasing age. Our results suggest that age-related changes in resting-state dynamics occur across different spatial and temporal scales and have consequences for information processing capacity.

scholarly journals Age and Training-Related Changes on Body Composition and Fitness in Male Amateur Cyclists

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 93
Author(s):  
José Ramón Alvero-Cruz ◽  
Jerónimo C. García Romero ◽  
Francisco Javier Ordonez ◽  
Denis Mongin ◽  
Lorena Correas-Gómez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Composition ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Body Fat ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Peak Power Output ◽  
Fat Percentage ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Age Related

Master athletes are considered as a model of healthy aging because they can limit the age-related decline of physiological abilities compared to sedentary individuals. The main objective of this study is to analyze age-related changes and annual training on body composition (BC) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) parameters. The participants in this retrospective cross-sectional study were 176 male cyclists, aged 40–60 years. BC was evaluated through anthropometric measurements and CRF was determined by an incremental cycle ergometer test to exhaustion. A comparative study between age groups was carried out through a one-way ANOVA test and the associations between the variables were assessed by Spearman’s correlation coefficients and multiple regression analysis to estimate the performance. Training was generally associated with a decrease in both body weight and body fat (p < 0.05). A decrease in resting heart rate was observed as a vagal effect of kilometers cycled per year (p < 0.05). Kilometers cycled per year were associated with an increase in peak power output, which was larger in the master 40 group (p < 0.05) with a non-significant upward in VO2max (p > 0.05). In the performance prediction model, the included variables explained 52% of the variance. In summary, the changes induced by age were minimal in BC and negligible in CRF, whereas HR decreased with age. Training load was generally associated with a decrease in body weight, BMI and body fat percentage that was particularly notable in the abdominal skin folds. A decrease in HRrest was observed as a vagal effect due to kilometers cycled per year, and age did not seem to have a significant effect. The annual cycling kilometers were associated with to high PPO that is greater in the M40 group and a non-significant upward trend in VO2max.

Age-Related Differences in Performance Using a Mouse and Trackball

1998 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Bohan ◽  
Alex Chaparro
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Motor Control ◽  
Performance Measures ◽  
Significant Interaction ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Target Characteristics

Aging is marked by changes in motor control which may be expected to affect performance using computer pointing devices. In this experiment, we compared older and younger adults' ability to acquire on-screen targets of varying distance and size using a mouse and trackball. The older adults moved consistently slower than their younger counterparts with both devices, particularly when making large amplitude movements. Error rates were equivalent for both age groups across all conditions. Analysis of throughput values indicated a significant interaction between age and device in which the younger adults' performance was more degraded when using the trackball than the mouse, while the older adults' performance did not vary across devices. These results are discussed in terms of potential error-averse strategies employed by the older participants in an attempt to compensate for age-related declines in motor control. Although the performance measures obtained in this study imply that older adults would perform equivalently using either the mouse or the trackball, it is not known whether these results generalize to other experimental conditions including different movement tasks, and target characteristics.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Age Differences and Postural Control in Male Athletes Using the Stability Evaluation Test (SET)

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 39-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richelle M. Williams ◽  
Trevor Rice ◽  
Kenneth Lam ◽  
Tamara Valovich McLeod
Keyword(s):  
Postural Control ◽  
Sport Participation ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Stability Evaluation ◽  
Test Protocol ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Evaluation Test ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Older Males

Postural control is an integral part of sport participation and is often measured when assessing concussion and rehabilitating musculoskeletal injuries. The purpose of this study was to determine whether developmental differences in postural control, as measured by the Stability Evaluation Test protocol, exist between multiple male age groups (9–25-years-old). Significant differences were present across age groups, suggesting pediatric males demonstrated higher sway velocity scores than older males. We also found that preadolescent males showed increased postural sway when compared with older populations. Overall, it was found that age-related differences exist in postural control, with older males demonstrating less sway, and therefore better postural control.

Adaptation and Reintegration of Proprioceptive Information in Young and Older Adults' Postural Control

2010 ◽  
Vol 104 (4) ◽  
pp. 1969-1977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michail Doumas ◽  
Ralf Th. Krampe
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Postural Control ◽  
Path Length ◽  
Reference Conditions ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Linear Feedback ◽  
Body Sway ◽  
Support Surface ◽  
Proprioceptive Information ◽  
Age Related

We investigated age-related changes in adaptation and sensory reintegration in postural control without vision. In two sessions, participants adapted their posture to sway reference and to reverse sway reference conditions, the former reducing (near eliminating) and the latter enhancing (near doubling) proprioceptive information for posture by means of support-surface rotations in proportion to body sway. Participants stood on a stable platform for 3 min (baseline) followed by 18 min of sway reference or reverse sway reference (adaptation) and finally again on a stable platform for 3 min (reintegration). Results showed that when inaccurate proprioception was introduced, anterior-posterior (AP) sway path length increased in comparable levels in the two age groups. During adaptation, young and older adults reduced postural sway at the same rate. On restoration of the stable platform in the reintegration phase, a sizeable aftereffect of increased AP path length was observed in both groups, which was greater in magnitude and duration for older adults. In line with linear feedback models of postural control, spectral analyses showed that this aftereffect differed between the two platform conditions. In the sway-referenced condition, a switch from low- to high-frequency COP sway marked the transition from reduced to normal proprioceptive information. The opposite switch was observed in the reverse sway referenced condition. Our findings illustrate age-related slowing in participants' postural control adjustments to sudden changes in environmental conditions. Over and above differences in postural control, our results implicate sensory reweighting as a specific mechanism highly sensitive to age-related decline.

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