Computational Modeling of Stability in Locomotion and the Effects of Vestibular Loss

项目概要/摘要 行走时的平衡控制比站立时复杂得多，但迄今为止受到的关注较少。作为 在最近的NIDCD NIA联合出版物[1]中指出，需要更好地了解 步行姿势控制，为前庭障碍患者制定有效的康复策略。 该项目的目标是确定身体如何协调不同的策略来保持稳定， 以及前庭障碍如何影响策略的协调。 现有文献已经确定了人类行走中使用的四种主要稳定策略：1）调节 足部放置，2）产生踝关节内翻/外翻扭矩以改变身体的外侧轨迹，3） 调整踝关节的蹬离力; 4）调整躯干姿势。虽然这些战略积极 协调以保持总体稳定，但尚未同时考虑所有这些问题。这项建议会 研究所有四个主要的稳定策略之间的相互作用，通过计算的组合， 和实验方法。 将建立一个人体运动稳定性的计算模型，并进行敏感性分析。 进行调查的影响，每一个稳定的战略和前庭输入的影响， 整体稳定性（目标1）。该模型将提供测试单个策略如何有助于整体的能力 稳定性，相互补偿，并受到不准确的前庭输入的影响。计算 模型将通过与健康成人的实验数据进行比较来验证和改进 在有和没有物理约束的情况下行走，这些物理约束去除了个体稳定策略（目标2）。步态 还将对单侧前庭功能减退的个体进行分析，以了解他们的 对特定策略的依赖不同于健康成人（目标3）。该提案将有助于 不完全了解步行中的平衡控制。最终目标是确定 在有针对性的康复计划中强调，以提高福尔斯高风险人群的稳定性（例如， 前庭障碍）。 上述研究将作为申请人博士学位的一部分， 生物工程，重点是全身生物力学。申请人将在以下方面发展知识 生物力学、神经生理学、控制和统计分析。申请人将继续其技术和 专业技能进行拟议的研究，进行额外的动手实验， 人体动作捕捉技术，并接受来自工程师，医生， 和理疗师

Project Summary/Abstract Balance control is far more complex in walking than standing, yet has received less focus to date. As noted in a recent joint NIDCD NIA publication [1], there is a need to better understand the mechanisms of postural control in walking to develop effective rehabilitation strategies for individuals with vestibular disorders. The goal of this project is to identify how the body coordinates different strategies to maintain stability while walking and how that coordination of strategies is affected by vestibular disorders. Existing literature has identified four major stabilization strategies used in human walking: 1) regulating foot placement, 2) generating ankle inversion/eversion torque to alter the lateral trajectory of the body, 3) adjusting push-off force at the ankle, and 4) modifying trunk posture. While these strategies are actively coordinated to retain overall stability, they have not yet all been considered simultaneously. This proposal will investigate the interaction among all four major stabilization strategies through a combination of computational and experimental approaches. A computational model of human locomotion stability will be developed and a sensitivity analysis will be performed to investigate the influence of each stabilization strategy and the impact of vestibular inputs on overall stability (Aim 1). This model will provide the ability to test how individual strategies contribute to overall stability, compensate for one another, and are affected by inaccurate vestibular input. The computational model will be validated and improved through comparison with experimental data collected in healthy adults walking with and without physical constraints that remove individual stabilization strategies (Aim 2). Gait analysis with individuals with unilateral vestibular hypofunction will also be performed to understand how their reliance on specific strategies differs from healthy adults (Aim 3). This proposal will contribute to the incomplete knowledge of balance control in walking. The ultimate goal is to identify strategies to be emphasized in targeted rehabilitation plans to enhance stability in a population at high risk for falls (e.g. those with vestibular disorders). The research described above will be completed as part of the applicant’s doctoral degree in Bioengineering, with a focus on whole-body biomechanics. The applicant will develop knowledge in biomechanics, neurophysiology, controls, and statistical analysis. The applicant will further her technical and professional skills by conducting the proposed research, performing additional hands-on experiments with human motion capture technology, and receiving mentorship from a diverse team of engineers, physicians, and physical therapists.