Adult age differences in familiarization to treadmill walking within virtual environments

Schellenbach, Michael; Lövdén, Martin; Verrel, Julius; Krüger, Antonio; Lindenberger, Ulman

doi:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2009.11.008

Cited by 27 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…The present investigation, therefore, placed emphasis on repeated short overground walks. First, this more closely replicates everyday walking (Orendurff et al 2008) in a more familiar way for elders (Wass et al 2005;Schellenbach et al 2010). Second, it was important to assess immediate effects of visual stimulus onset.…”

Section: Methods Considerationssupporting

confidence: 56%

Smooth pursuits decrease balance control during locomotion in young and older healthy females

et al. 2017

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Dynamic balance control-characterised as movement of the trunk and lower limbs-was assessed during fixation of a fixed target, smooth pursuits and saccadic eye movements in ten young (22.9 ± 1.5 years) and ten older (72.1 ± 8.2 years) healthy females walking overground. Participants were presented with visual stimuli to initiate eye movements, and posture and gaze were assessed with motion analysis and eye tracking equipment. The results showed an increase in medial/lateral (ML) trunk movement (C7: p = 0.012; sacrum: p = 0.009) and step-width variability (p = 0.052) during smooth pursuits compared to a fixed target, with no changes for saccades compared to a fixed target. The elders demonstrated greater ML trunk movement (sacrum: p = 0.037) and step-width variability (p = 0.037) than the younger adults throughout, although this did not interact with the eye movements. The findings showed that smooth pursuits decreased balance control in young and older adults similarly, which was likely a consequence of more complicated retinal flow. Since healthy elders are typically already at a postural disadvantage, further decreases in balance caused by smooth pursuits are undesirable.

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Section: Methods Considerationssupporting

confidence: 56%

Smooth pursuits decrease balance control during locomotion in young and older healthy females

et al. 2017

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“…Third, a virtual environment consisting of a straight path was projected on a screen to provide a more naturalistic context for walking. Using a similar experimental setup, Schellenbach et al (2010) recently reported that treadmill walking after familiarization closely resembled walking patterns observed in overground walking. Based on these considerations, we are confident that the main findings of the present study generalize to overground walking.…”

Section: Theoretical and Methodological Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 77%

Motor-equivalent covariation stabilizes step parameters and center of mass position during treadmill walking

2010

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We investigated motor-equivalent stabilization of task-related variables (TRV) at times of heel strike in eight healthy young men (23-30 years) who walked on a motorized treadmill at self-selected and prescribed speeds within the normal walking speed range. The TRV consisted of step parameters (step length and width) and the center of mass (CoM) position relative to the support (back and front feet). Motor-equivalent stabilization of the TRV was assessed using a decorrelation technique, comparing empirical to decorrelated (covariation-free) variability. Analysis indicated reliable covariation for all TRV. In both the fore-aft and lateral directions, stabilization by covariation was highest for CoM position relative to the front foot, indicating a prioritization of equilibrium-related variables. Correlations among TRV revealed that the relation between CoM and step parameter control differed between the fore-aft and lateral directions. While stabilization of lateral foot position appears to be due to control of CoM relative to each foot, step length showed small, but reliable, stabilization beyond CoM stabilization, which may be related to spatiotemporal regularity of the step pattern.

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“…Participants were aware that real falls would not happen on the treadmill, and their task-prioritization strategies may therefore have been different from the real world. However, the use of virtual environments is well-established in research on dualtasks involving posture and gait and in mobility training with the elderly (for examples, see Mirelman et al 2011;Neider et al 2011;Rendon et al 2012;Yang et al 2008), and 20 min of familiarization to treadmill walking in a virtual environment has been shown to be sufficient to reach stable walking patterns that closely resemble those observed in overground walking in young and old adults (Schellenbach et al 2010). Virtual worlds are reported to elicit the feeling of being immersed, and they enable researchers to study situations that would be difficult or impossible to study in the real world due to the risk of harm or injury.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Walking in high-risk settings: Do older adults still prioritize gait when distracted by a cognitive task?

et al. 2014

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When a cognitive and a motor task like walking or keeping one's balance are performed concurrently, performance usually deteriorates. Older adults have often been shown to prioritize their motor performance in such dual-task situations, possibly to protect themselves from falls. The current study investigates whether these prioritization behaviors can still be observed when several challenges are combined. Younger (20-30 years old) and older adults (60-70 years old; n = 24 in each group) were asked to walk through virtual environments with and without a cognitive load (3-back task). Walking difficulty was increased by walking on an elevated surface or on a narrow as opposed to a broad track, or both. Walking instructions emphasized speed and accuracy (avoiding missteps). No instruction was given concerning which performance dimension should be prioritized during dual-task trials. Participants decreased their 3-back performance while walking. Younger adults maintained their walking speed on elevated surfaces and were able to keep the number of missteps low, even when walking on a narrow track while performing the cognitive task. Older adults increased their walking speed on elevated relative to even surfaces and committed more missteps under cognitive load. Results suggest that task prioritization might fail in healthy older adults if several challenges are combined in high-risk settings.

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Adult age differences in familiarization to treadmill walking within virtual environments

Cited by 27 publications

References 19 publications

Smooth pursuits decrease balance control during locomotion in young and older healthy females

Smooth pursuits decrease balance control during locomotion in young and older healthy females

Motor-equivalent covariation stabilizes step parameters and center of mass position during treadmill walking

Walking in high-risk settings: Do older adults still prioritize gait when distracted by a cognitive task?

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