Journal Of Motor Behavior[JOURNAL]
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200 papers
Effects of Attentional Focus on Dual-Task Walking Performance in Older and Young Adults.
Campolina AB, Machado NLR, Mazoni AF … +2 more , Andrade V, Vaz DV
J Mot Behav · 2025 · PMID 40079546 · Publisher ↗
Walking, often performed automatically, allows for concurrent tasks like carrying objects, but dual-tasks can be challenging for the older adults. As previous search supports the benefits of external focus (EF) over inte...
Walking, often performed automatically, allows for concurrent tasks like carrying objects, but dual-tasks can be challenging for the older adults. As previous search supports the benefits of external focus (EF) over internal focus (IF) of attention in motor tasks, this study investigated attentional effects on dual-task walking performance in young and older adults. A total of 84 healthy participants (42 young adults, 23.02 ± 2.91 years; 42 older adults, 23.02 ± 2.91 years) were instructed to walk while carrying a filled cup without spilling. Walking speed (comfortable, fast) and attentional focus (internal, external, none) were systematically varied. Inertial sensors captured gait speed, cadence, step duration, step length, and pelvis acceleration variability, while spillage was measured in grams. A generalized linear model with bootstrap resampling (α = 0.05) examined the effects of focus, walking speed, and group. Results indicated that young adults walked faster than older adults ( < 0.001), and speed decreased from single-task to dual-task ( = 0.003) and from fast walking to comfortable walking ( < 0.001). No significant effect of attentional focus was found ( ≥ 0.056). The interaction between focus and speed was significant only for spillage ( = 0.041), showing an unimportant difference in spillage between fast walking without focus instructions (398.85 g) and with external focus instructions (399.76 g) ( = 0.030). The interaction between focus and group was not significant ( ≥ 0.531). Overall, this suggests that dual task walking may not be significantly affected by attentional focus instructions.
Head Control and Upper-Body Coordination during Gait in Collegiate Contact and Noncontact Athletes.
Zeff SR, Martini DN, Hamill J … +1 more , van Emmerik R
J Mot Behav · 2025 · PMID 40070015 · Publisher ↗
Persistent contact sport participation exposes athletes to repetitive head impacts, eliciting lingering motor performance alterations that could disrupt visual perception. We sought to compare head and trunk displacement...
Persistent contact sport participation exposes athletes to repetitive head impacts, eliciting lingering motor performance alterations that could disrupt visual perception. We sought to compare head and trunk displacement, segmental coordination, and dynamic visual acuity between contact (ice hockey) and noncontact (baseball) athletes. Thirteen ice hockey and 11 baseball athletes walked at preferred and fast speeds during both a baseline and an imposed dynamic visual acuity (DVA) task. With increased visual task constraints and walking speeds, greater vertical head (preferred walking with visual task: 4.29 ± 0.48 vs 3.69 ± 0.71 cm, = 0.030; fast baseline walking: 5.91 ± 0.59 vs 5.00 ± 0.97 cm, = 0.019; fast walking with visual task: 5.72 ± 0.62 vs 4.86 ± 0.79 cm, = 0.005) and trunk CoM displacement (fast baseline walking: 5.84 ± 0.61vs 5.00 ± 0.95 cm, = 0.026; fast walking with visual task: 5.65 ± 0.63 vs 4.89 ± 0.78 cm, = 0.014) were observed in contact athletes. In the transverse head-trunk coordination, contact athletes showed a decreased contribution of the head (9.85 ± 5.57 vs 19.36 ± 9.84%, = 0.007) and increased trunk involvement (47.31 ± 21.43 vs 33.64 ± 10.79%, = 0.030) compared to noncontact athletes, but this occurred only during fast walking with the DVA task. No DVA differences were observed (preferred speed: = 0.650; fast speed: = 0.820). While visual task performance was unaffected by contact sport status, the current results demonstrate changes in upper-body movement and how the head and trunk are coordinated in ice hockey athletes. Whether the observed upper-body movement and coordination changes due to repetitive head impact exposure result in decrements in visual perception and awareness in more challenging sporting environments remains unclear.
Facilitating Cutaneous Afferent Feedback with Texture on Mechanically Induced Stretch Reflex Excitability During Gait Termination.
Robb KA, Green LA, Hyde JD … +1 more , Perry SD
J Mot Behav · 2025 · PMID 40047447 · Publisher ↗
Cutaneous feedback plays a large role in the reflexive activation of muscle activity (Ia stretch reflex) generating postural responses during planned gait termination. As the mechanisms to induce a cutaneous afferent vol...
Cutaneous feedback plays a large role in the reflexive activation of muscle activity (Ia stretch reflex) generating postural responses during planned gait termination. As the mechanisms to induce a cutaneous afferent volley have been limited to electrical stimulation, it remains unknown if mechanical stimuli can modulate stretch reflex (SR) excitability. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of adding cutaneous inputs on modulating the SR during perturbed gait termination. Thirty young adults completed walking trials when a platform unexpectedly tilted 10 degrees anteriorly or posteriorly, inducing a tibialis anterior (TA) or medial gastrocnemius (MG) short-latency reflex. The SR latency, the peak SR amplitude, and the total SR amplitude of the agonist burst, were compared between the stretched muscle and cutaneous facilitation. Statistically significant interactions were observed between the stretched muscle and cutaneous facilitation on the SR peak and SR burst. More notably, texture resulted in a consistent expression on the TA SR magnitude, without a similar effect in MG. Despite confirming the ability of cutaneous afferent facilitation on modulating spinal interneuronal circuitry, participant variability in response to texture highlights the importance of focusing on individual participant results when studying the effects of cutaneous facilitation on modulating spinal motorneuron excitability.
Torque Regularity is not Affected by the Nature of Visual Feedback During Hold Type of Isometric Contractions in Adults.
Oliveira JH, Sá Gomes J, Bauer P … +2 more , Pezarat-Correia P, Vaz JR
J Mot Behav · 2025 · PMID 40040575 · Publisher ↗
The literature that investigated the influence of visual feedback properties on the magnitude and temporal structure of variability suggests that increases in the precision of visual information of the torque output (thr...
The literature that investigated the influence of visual feedback properties on the magnitude and temporal structure of variability suggests that increases in the precision of visual information of the torque output (through manipulation of visual gain and its intermittency) lead the neuromuscular system to produce torque in a more steady and complex manner. However, less is known about the influence of the nature of visual feedback on torque variability. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of two different feedback natures, one from the angular position and the other from the torque produced, on the magnitude and temporal structure of torque variability during submaximal hold isometric tasks. Twenty healthy and young participants performed a knee extension isometric task, consisting in sustaining an applied resistance equivalent to 40% of their Maximal Voluntary Isometric Contraction for 30 s with visual feedback from angular position (H) and with visual feedback from torque (H). The magnitude of torque variability was calculated through the coefficient of variation. Sample Entropy was used to analyze the temporal structure of torque fluctuations, i.e., torque complexity. We observed no significant differences between conditions (H vs H) in both magnitude ( = 0.117) and the temporal structure of torque fluctuations ( = 0.940). Our results demonstrated that torque regulation seems not to be affected by the nature of the visual feedback during hold submaximal isometric tasks, suggesting a participation of sensorimotor system due to the nature of the task. Researchers should take this into account to take methodological decisions when using hold submaximal isometric tasks to investigate possible changes in motor control.
Effects of Light Finger Touch on Postural Sway during Standing and Crouching Tasks.
Asao A, Sato Y, Nakanowatari T
J Mot Behav · 2025 · PMID 39993717 · Publisher ↗
Light touch contact of the fingertip reduces postural sway. The light touch effect was confirmed in several postural orientations. However, the effect on postural control in the crouching posture remains unclear. This st...
Light touch contact of the fingertip reduces postural sway. The light touch effect was confirmed in several postural orientations. However, the effect on postural control in the crouching posture remains unclear. This study investigated the effect of a light fingertip touch on the perturbation of the center of pressure in bipedal standing and crouching. Twenty-two healthy participants engaged in eight postural control tasks: standing/crouching (Posture) × eyes opened/eyes closed (Vision) × light touch/no touch (Touch). The total trajectory length and root-mean-square of the center of pressure in the anterior-posterior and medio-lateral directions were analyzed. Light touch reduced the sway of the center of pressure in both the standing and crouching postures, particularly in the anterior-posterior direction. Furthermore, the touch effect on the sway of the center of pressure varied between the standing and crouching postures. Consistent effects were observed in the anterior-posterior direction, but differing effects were observed in the medio-lateral direction. These results indicate that somatosensory input from the fingertip reduces postural sway in both directions in a crouched posture. Variations of the center of pressure disturbances in the medio-lateral direction could originate from differences in postural strategies involving the ankle and hip joints between bipedal standing and crouching positions.
Limb-Target Control Increases With Effective Index of Difficulty.
Blinch J, Nourollahimoghadam M, Trovinger C … +3 more , Roncesvalles MN, Hart MA, Chua R
J Mot Behav · 2025 · PMID 39912872 · Publisher ↗
Researchers have investigated the sensorimotor mechanisms that result in Fitts' law. One approach has been to analyse movement trajectories during Fitts' tasks to reveal the processes that occur during movement preparati...
Researchers have investigated the sensorimotor mechanisms that result in Fitts' law. One approach has been to analyse movement trajectories during Fitts' tasks to reveal the processes that occur during movement preparation and execution. We used trajectory analysis in the current study to investigate how limb-target control contributed to Fitts' law during the transition from ballistic movements to movements with online control. Twenty-five participants made discrete reaching movements in seven conditions with indexes of difficulty that ranged from one to seven. There were strong linear relationships between index of difficulty, effective index of difficulty and movement time. Trajectory analysis suggested that the easiest condition had movements that were mostly ballistic. There was enough time for visual-based online corrections, but the condition was probably too easy to require limb-target control. Trajectory analysis also suggested that there was an increased reliance on limb-target control as the index of difficulty increased. In conclusion, there was a strong linear relationship between effective index of difficulty and movement time even with conditions that ranged from mostly ballistic to a high degree of limb-target control. We suggest that there is a direct relationship between effective index of difficulty and degree of limb-target control.
Control Mechanisms of Sensorimotor System on Manipulation of Proprioceptive Inputs During Balance Maintenance.
Shokri N, Yazdanpanah K, Ashtiani MN
J Mot Behav · 2025 · PMID 39884666 · Publisher ↗
Proprioceptive inputs have crucial roles in control of the posture. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of interfering with these signals on postural stability by ice-induced anaesthesia and local calf...
Proprioceptive inputs have crucial roles in control of the posture. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of interfering with these signals on postural stability by ice-induced anaesthesia and local calf muscle fatigue. Seventeen healthy young individuals participated in this study to stand quietly and on an unstable platform under normal, anaesthesia, and fatigue conditions. A force platform calculated excursions of centre of pressure. Stabilogram-diffusion analysis was utilised to evaluate how body controls the posture with and without proprioceptive inputs. Time intervals of using the sensory feedback is significantly increased by anaesthesia in quiet standing (430 ms, = 0.034) to note more delayed use of sensory information in a closed-loop. Additionally, fatigue significantly increased the time intervals of using sensory feedback during standing on the unstable platform (290 ms, = 0.016). Interestingly, sensory interventions had no effect on the stability of the open-loop control of posture (short-term control), but they significantly influenced the closed-loop control (long-term control) ( < 0.004). Specifically, fatigue led to increased instabilities when the body used sensory inputs during both quiet standing ( = 0.021) and standing on the unstable platform ( = 0.041). These findings highlight the importance of proprioception in balance control for healthy individuals. Interfering with proprioceptive inputs, either through anaesthesia or fatigue, resulted in instabilities during balance maintenance. Our study provides new insights into the mechanisms underlying postural control, emphasising the significance of proprioceptive inputs. Understanding how proprioception affects balance maintenance may have implications for rehabilitation strategies, injury prevention, and the development of interventions to improve postural stability.
Guiding the Hand to an Invisible Target.
Furtak M, Brenner E
J Mot Behav · 2025 · PMID 39842461 · Publisher ↗
Numerous devices are being developed to assist visually impaired and blind individuals in performing everyday tasks such as reaching out to grasp objects. Considering that the size, weight, and cost of assistive devices...
Numerous devices are being developed to assist visually impaired and blind individuals in performing everyday tasks such as reaching out to grasp objects. Considering that the size, weight, and cost of assistive devices significantly impact their acceptance, it would be useful to know how effective various types of guiding information can be. As an initial exploration of this issue, we conducted four studies in which participants with normal vision were visually guided toward targets. They were guided by information about the direction to the target, and either about the distance to the target or about the time required to reach the target. We compared participants' performance when provided with different amounts of each of these kinds of information. We found that restricting information about the distance from the target or the time it would take to reach the target to only a few possible values does not affect performance substantially. Restricting information about the direction to the target to only a few possible values appears to be more detrimental, but the disadvantage of having few possible directions can be mitigated by combining values in multiple directions. These findings can help optimize haptic presentations in assistive technology.
Auditory Cues and Feedback in the Serial Reaction Time Task: Evidence for Sequence Acquisition and Sensory Transfer.
Broeckelmann EM, Martin T, Glazebrook CM
J Mot Behav · 2025 · PMID 39828275 · Publisher ↗
The present experiment used the Serial Reaction Time Task(SRTT) to investigate if auditory cueing or feedback in the form of spatially compatible tones benefited sequence learning similarly. Fifty-three neurotypical adul...
The present experiment used the Serial Reaction Time Task(SRTT) to investigate if auditory cueing or feedback in the form of spatially compatible tones benefited sequence learning similarly. Fifty-three neurotypical adults (18-35 years; 32 cis-females; 21 cis-males) were randomly assigned to three groups in which they practiced a visual SRTT: Group AC was supplemented with auditory cues; group AF received auditory feedback; group NS performed without sound. Retention and transfer tests (i.e., in the other two sensory conditions), and an explicit awareness test were conducted 48 h after practice. Changes in Total Sequence Time (TST), Total Error (TE), and acquired knowledge of the 10-item sequence order quantified sequence learning and were assessed using a two-way mixed ANOVA with repeated measures ( ≤ 0.05). A significant group-by-time interaction indicated only the AC group maintained their performance improvements when the sequence was perturbed. Overall, improvements in TST on day 1 and day 2 were consistent with all groups acquiring task-general and sequence-specific knowledge. TE outcomes suggested no speed-accuracy tradeoff. On Day 2, all groups performed best in the no-sound condition, indicating performance was maintained when sound cues or feedback were removed. All groups acquired equivalent implicit motor sequence knowledge regardless of sound condition.
Does Body Postural Configuration Affect Upper Limb Performance During Point-to-Point Hand Movements?
Bauch MBD, Baniña MC, Liebermann DG … +1 more , Friedman J
J Mot Behav · 2025 · PMID 39805573 · Publisher ↗
Adopting a postural configuration may be regarded as preparation for the performance of an upcoming movement. However, it is unclear how different postural configurations affect motor performance. The aim of the current...
Adopting a postural configuration may be regarded as preparation for the performance of an upcoming movement. However, it is unclear how different postural configurations affect motor performance. The aim of the current study was to examine how body posture - sitting versus standing - influences fast and accurate planar point-to-point hand movements. Twenty-three healthy adults performed a "Go/No-go" paradigm while doing repetitive point-to-point movements. Arousal levels, which may change due to the change in posture, were independently manipulated by using a sham threat of electrical stimulation. Upper limb kinematics, center of pressure displacement, and galvanic skin responses were recorded in four test conditions: sitting and standing with and without arousal manipulation. Descriptive performance measures were computed and analyzed using multiple analyses of variance. A difference in arousal level was observed in the two conditions with the arousal manipulation, but no difference in arousal level was found between sitting and standing. Center of pressure displacement onset was found to be earlier in the two standing conditions compared to those in sitting. No difference was found in upper limb performance between the two postures, nor due to the arousal manipulation. We concluded that under the tested conditions, body posture does not appear to affect upper limb performance.
Corticospinal and Clinical Effects of Muscle Tendon Vibration in Neurologically Impaired Individuals. A Scoping Review.
Lauzier L, Munger L, Perron MP … +5 more , Bertrand-Charette M, Sollmann N, Schneider C, Bonfert MV, Beaulieu LD
J Mot Behav · 2025 · PMID 39709638 · Publisher ↗
This review verified the extent, variety, quality and main findings of studies that have tested the neurophysiological and clinical effects of muscle tendon vibration (VIB) in individuals with sensorimotor impairments. T...
This review verified the extent, variety, quality and main findings of studies that have tested the neurophysiological and clinical effects of muscle tendon vibration (VIB) in individuals with sensorimotor impairments. The search was conducted on PubMed, CINAHL, and SportDiscuss up to April 2024. Studies were selected if they included humans with neurological impairments, applied VIB and used at least one measure of corticospinal excitability using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Two investigators assessed the studies' quality using critical appraisal checklists and extracted relevant data. The 10 articles included were diverse in populations and methods, generally rated as 'average' to 'good' quality. All studies reported an increased corticospinal excitability in the vibrated muscle, but the effects of VIB on non-vibrated muscles remain unclear. Positive clinical changes in response to VIB were reported in a few studies, such as a decreased spasticity and improved sensorimotor function. These changes were sometimes correlated with corticospinal effects, suggesting a link between VIB-induced plasticity and clinical improvements. Despite the limited and heterogeneous literature, this review supports the facilitatory influence of VIB on motor outputs controlling vibrated muscles, even with altered sensorimotor functions. It highlights knowledge gaps and suggests future research directions on VIB mechanisms and clinical implications.
Systemic Effects of Molar and Incisor Biting on Walking Direction With and Without Visual Feedback.
Nourbakhsh MR, Kim D, Solnik S
J Mot Behav · 2025 · PMID 39691965 · Publisher ↗
Gait stability and walking direction control are conventionally attributed to coordination among somatosensory, visual, and vestibular systems. Recent evidence of functional interdependence between masticatory and neurom...
Gait stability and walking direction control are conventionally attributed to coordination among somatosensory, visual, and vestibular systems. Recent evidence of functional interdependence between masticatory and neuromuscular systems indicates that the stomatognathic system is neurologically integrated with various body systems relevant to movement planning and execution. This study investigated the effects of unilateral molar biting and incisor biting on walking with and without visual feedback. A cohort of 31 healthy young adults aged 21 to 30 years (average age of 23.93 ± 1.89) participated in this study. Three types of errors in walking direction (angle error, position error, and curve error) were computed. Our findings indicate that, in right-handed individuals, irrespective of visual feedback, unilateral biting caused systematic deviations toward the biting side from initiation to termination of walking. The consistent deviation in walking, particularly during unilateral right biting conditions in right-handed individuals, may indicate a complex interplay between masticatory function and gait control mechanism, potentially influenced by handedness and motor lateralization within the cortex. This study establishes a foundation for future research exploring the interrelation between bite location, visual feedback, and motor control in diverse populations. This research may provide insight for more efficient interventions for gait-related disorders.
Clinical Study on the Treatment of Upper Limb Dysfunction in Stroke Patients Using Ultrasound-Guided Electroacupuncture.
Wu P, Wang Y, He D … +1 more , Liu Y
J Mot Behav · 2025 · PMID 39688516 · Publisher ↗
This study aimed to compare the effects of electroacupuncture on traditional acupoints and muscle belly of different target muscles against upper limb dysfunction in stroke patients with hemiplegia. A total of thirty-nin...
This study aimed to compare the effects of electroacupuncture on traditional acupoints and muscle belly of different target muscles against upper limb dysfunction in stroke patients with hemiplegia. A total of thirty-nine stroke patients with subacute hemiplegia were randomly divided into the control group ( = 19) and observation group ( = 20). The control group was treated with physical therapy and normal electroacupuncture, while the observation group was treated with physical therapy and ultrasound-guided electroacupuncture on the muscle belly. After three weeks' intervention, the scores of Barthel Index, Fugl-Meyer assessment and Action Research Arm Test were compared between the two groups. Before the intervention, there were no significant differences in the scores of Barthel Index, Fugl-Meyer assessment and Action Research Arm Test between these two groups. After three weeks' intervention, there was significant increase in the scores of Barthel Index, Fugl-Meyer assessment, and Action Research Arm Test between the observation and control groups. Electroacupuncture on muscle belly under ultrasound guidance could significantly improve the performance of activities of daily living, motor function and the upper limb function in patients with subacute hemiplegia after stroke, and its effect was superior to electroacupuncture on the acupoints.
Is Dyadic Fitts' Law Task Affected by Action Observation?
Niu R, Jiang Y, Sun C … +1 more , Tang R
J Mot Behav · 2025 · PMID 39647838 · Publisher ↗
According to Fitts' law, an individual's speed-accuracy tradeoff is only related to the object's properties. According to previous research, the movement time to hit the current target can be affected by the target of di...
According to Fitts' law, an individual's speed-accuracy tradeoff is only related to the object's properties. According to previous research, the movement time to hit the current target can be affected by the target of different size on the previous trial where the Fitts' law task is affected by trial history. However, in a dyadic context, the question is whether there is still a trial-to-trial transfer across individuals. In this study, Experiment 1 was conducted to investigate whether the current trial would be affected by the previous trial performed by the partner in a dyadic task. The results showed trial-to-trial transfer between individuals was affected by the difficulty of the action. The current movement was only affected by the previous difficult trial but not simple task. In order to investigate whether observing only novel targets would affect the current movement, we conducted Experiment 2, which showed that observing the target was not sufficient to generate effect transfer between trials. These findings suggest that the goal-directed movement can be affected by the observation of others. In addition, the effect of trial-to-trial transfer between individuals was influenced by task difficulty, which proved this effect was not a simple imitation.
Muscle Synergies in Patients with Medial Knee Osteoarthritis During Level-, Ramp- and Stair Locomotion.
Hansen L, Rogoschin J, Komnik I … +1 more , Potthast W
J Mot Behav · 2025 · PMID 39626885 · Publisher ↗
Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a prevalent and severe condition with versatile effects on human locomotion, including alterations in neuromuscular control. Muscle synergies are understood as functional low-dimensional buil...
Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a prevalent and severe condition with versatile effects on human locomotion, including alterations in neuromuscular control. Muscle synergies are understood as functional low-dimensional building blocks within the neuromuscular organization. To examine alterations in muscle synergy patterns during locomotion tasks in the presence of KOA, 40 participants, including 20 with medial KOA (KL-Score ≥ 2), performed level walking, as well as ramp and stair ascent and descent trials at self-selected speeds. Sixteen-Channel bilateral surface electromyography (sEMG) and marker-based motion capture data were collected. Non-negative matrix factorization (NNMF) was applied to the sEMG data for muscle synergy extraction. During level walking and descending conditions, structural changes in muscle synergy composition were observed in the KOA affected limb when compared to the unaffected side and control group. Alterations included fewer, merged synergies with prolonged activation coefficients and a higher percentage of unclassifiable synergies. No major alterations were observed during ascending conditions. No significant differences in gait speed and stride length were observed. These results indicate that muscle synergy composition can be altered in the presence of KOA regardless of age and gait speed, but not during all forms of locomotion.
Motor Competence and Difficulty of Self-Set Goals on Motor Learning.
Ottero B, Carvalho R, Penido L … +6 more , Matos C, Cordovil R, Luz C, Rodrigues LP, Tanure M, Ugrinowitsch H
J Mot Behav · 2025 · PMID 39575858 · Publisher ↗
Motor competence is associated with the perceived difficulty of a task. This study hypothesized that children with higher motor competence perceive certain tasks as less challenging than their peers with lower motor comp...
Motor competence is associated with the perceived difficulty of a task. This study hypothesized that children with higher motor competence perceive certain tasks as less challenging than their peers with lower motor competence. As a result, children with higher motor competence were expected to set more ambitious goals for themselves while learning a new task compared to children with lower motor competence. To investigate the relationship between motor competence and the difficulty of self-set goals during motor learning, we included 48 children aged between eight and ten years, stratified into terciles; our analysis focused on 32 children from the highest and lowest terciles. The experimental task required participants to throw a 100 g bean bag toward a target located 3 meters away. Children were instructed to set goals before each block of 10 trials during the learning phase. Pretest, retention, and transfer tests were administered without imposed goals. Motor competence was assessed using the Motor Competence Assessment, which integrates scores from the task used to evaluate motor learning and the percentage increase in each block to assess the difficulty of the self-set goals. The findings revealed no significant correlation between motor competence and the difficulty of self-set goals. Nevertheless, higher motor competence was linked to enhanced performance during the acquisition phase, retention and transfer tests. These results suggest that although motor competence is associated with improved motor learning, it does not influence the level of challenge of the goals that children set for themselves.
Factors Influencing Gait Performance: Comfortable Linear Gait and Complex Gait in School-Aged Children in a Dual-Task Model.
Andrade Lara KE, de la Casa Pérez A, Cubero Pacheco A … +4 more , Párraga Montilla JA, Martínez Redondo M, Cabrera Linares JC, Latorre Román PÁ
J Mot Behav · 2025 · PMID 39502037 · Publisher ↗
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of cognitive interference by using the Dual-Task (DT) paradigm on gait parameters according to sex, and age. Additionally, we aim to explore the relationship between Dual...
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of cognitive interference by using the Dual-Task (DT) paradigm on gait parameters according to sex, and age. Additionally, we aim to explore the relationship between Dual-Task-Cost (DTC), physical fitness, cognitive functioning, and weight status in schoolchildren. One hundred schoolchildren participated in this study (age = 8.83 ± 1.82 years). They were randomly assigned to Comfortable Linear Gait (CLG: gait in a straight path) or Complex Gait (CG: gait over obstacles) with and without interference. For CLG, boys and girls showed a reduction in gait speed ( < 0.001), cadence ( < 0.01), and step length ( < 0.001). In addition, double support time ( < 0.05) and cadence coefficient of variance (boys= < 0.01; girls= < 0.05) increased in the DT condition. In the CG, both sexes ( < 0.001) exhibited a worse execution time. There were significant effects on speed DTC between 8-9 vs. 10-11 years in CLG and 6-7 vs. 10-11 years in CGT ( < 0.05). In conclusion, gait parameters during CLG and CG are modified in the DT condition, resulting in a slower gait with shorter steps, regardless of age and sex. DTC is associated with physical fitness and cognitive function.
Kinematic Analysis of Reaching Tasks at Different Execution Speeds in Children with Neonatal Brachial Plexus Palsy.
de Medeiros DL, Rossi DM, de Lemos TW … +3 more , van Emmerik R, Mochizuki L, de Oliveira AS
J Mot Behav · 2025 · PMID 39489537 · Publisher ↗
The aim of this study was to compare the kinematics of reaching tasks at different speeds between children with neonatal brachial plexus palsy (NBPP) and unaffected controls. This cross-sectional study included thirteen...
The aim of this study was to compare the kinematics of reaching tasks at different speeds between children with neonatal brachial plexus palsy (NBPP) and unaffected controls. This cross-sectional study included thirteen children with NBPP (10 ± 2 years old, of which six had upper Erb's palsy and seven had extended Erb's palsy) matched for age and sex with thirteen unaffected controls. Kinematic data were acquired using a Motion Monitor unit with a 3D motion tracking electromagnetic system (Liberty, Polhemus). Scapular, upper limb, and head were recorded during forward reaching tasks (hand on overhead ball and hand to head) and a backward reaching task (hand on the back pocket). The study revealed reduced shoulder flexion and extension in children with NBPP during hand on ball and on the back pocket tasks compared to unaffected controls. Limited elbow flexion was also observed in children with NBPP during the hand on ball and hand on the head tasks. During the hand to head task, children with NBPP presented increased head flexion compared to unaffected controls. Scapular kinematics analysis showed increased posterior tilt in children with NBPP during forward reaching (the hand on ball and hand to head tasks). In the backward reaching task (hand on the back pocket), the NBPP group exhibited reduced scapular external rotation compared to unaffected controls. These findings indicate distinct kinematics in the scapula, shoulder, elbow, and head during reaching tasks for children with NBPP compared to controls. Furthermore, different execution speeds did not alter the kinematic differences between the groups.
Smartphone Proprioception for Ankle Navigation (SPAN): Reliability and Effect of Position Exposure Time.
Shi X, Ganderton C, Adams R … +3 more , Han J, El-Ansary D, Tirosh O
J Mot Behav · 2025 · PMID 39489510 · Publisher ↗
This study investigated ankle discriminative acuity and performance and measurement consistency for tests undertaken with different joint position exposure times (PETs). Twenty-four participants were tested using a novel...
This study investigated ankle discriminative acuity and performance and measurement consistency for tests undertaken with different joint position exposure times (PETs). Twenty-four participants were tested using a novel Smartphone Proprioception for Ankle Navigation (SPAN) under four PETs, i.e., 0.25s, 0.5s, 0.75s and 1s, delivered in a random sequence, and then re-tested within one week. The results indicated a PET main effect ( = 10.12, = 0.004, partial ƞ2 = 0.14), and limb preference main effect ( = 5.39, = 0.03, partial ƞ2 = 0.19), without significant interactions ( > 0.05). Ankle proprioception improved with prolonged PET, with the non-dominant side outperforming the dominant side. A PET of 0.25s showed good to excellent reliability, with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) of 0.897 (95%CI: 0.761, 0.955) and 0.885 (95%CI: 0.736, 0.951), with standard errors of measurements (SEM) between 0.030 and 0.035, and minimum detectable change at 90% (MDC) between 0.070 and 0.082, compared to poor to moderate reliability at the other three longer PETs (ICCs =0.352-0.736). The findings suggested the prolongation of PET can improve ankle proprioceptive performance but can amplify the inter-occasion variability, likely due to increased cognitive analysis with longer stimulus sampling. SPAN may thus be a cost-effective and accessible apparatus for clinical practice.
The Effects of Constraints on the Variability of Throwing Patterns in Young Children.
Salehi H, Kalantari P
J Mot Behav · 2025 · PMID 39445845 · Publisher ↗
This research examined how changes in task constraints impacted the throwing patterns of children. The study involved 24 children, with an equal number of males and females, aged 5 and 6. The primary task constraints wer...
This research examined how changes in task constraints impacted the throwing patterns of children. The study involved 24 children, with an equal number of males and females, aged 5 and 6. The primary task constraints were the orientation of the target (horizontal or vertical hoops) and the size of the ball (diameters of 6 cm or 12 cm). We observed throwing patterns and analyzed kinematic changes in the preferred throws' components. Initially, some children transitioned from using two hands to using one hand, and from underhand to overarm throws, particularly when using the larger balls. However, the preferred pattern for most children was one-hand overarm throwing. The kinematic analysis revealed that the participants adapted their throwing technique based on the size of the ball and the orientation of the hoop. The most significant adjustments occurred in the forearm component in response to changes in the target orientation. Notably, when aiming for a vertical hoop, distinct modifications were observed, including elevating the humerus and pulling the hand backward. These findings support the dynamical systems theory, which explains how movement patterns vary during motor development. The study also discussed the potential benefits of using constraints for skill acquisition in physical education settings.
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