Can footprints tell you more than fingerprints? Understanding the Fundamentals of State- and Trait-Dependent Gait Patterns

脚印能比指纹告诉你更多信息吗？

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-04146
• 负责人: EhgoetzMartens, Kaylena
• 金额: $ 1.75万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=757737
• 关键词: footprints; tell; more; than; fingerprints

Walking upright is an astounding human ability that we often take for granted, yet it remains unclear how the human nervous system controls walking and how much information is embedded in our walking pattern. My research program advances the foundational understanding of the complexities underlying the neural control of human walking to help address the question: Why are patterns of walking so different across people and what can walking behaviour reveal about an individual? Understanding the control of walking has transformed over recent years to expose an influential role of cognitive and emotional states. My research program combines movement kinematics, physiology, virtual reality and cognitive neuroscience to uncover the neural basis of walking and cognitive-emotional factors that contribute to walking patterns. Unique to my work is a focus on both trait (person-specific) and state (context/task dependent) level cognitive-emotional influences on individual patterns of walking. The importance is highlighted by my previous research which shows that trait-level differences in anxiety across individuals can produce marked reductions in cognitive performance and greater susceptibility to interference with balance control and walking. Thus, a more detailed and granular investigation that dissects state- and trait-dependent walking patterns (O1) , will advance the understanding of the respective time-varying roles of arousal and attention (O2, O3), an area currently understudied. To fully appreciate the complexity of human walking patterns, my lab will utilise a multi-dimensional approach that describes muscular and joint interactions on the one hand, and physiological responses that index arousal and attentional demands across different phases of coordinated walking on the other. Our experimental approach examines walking patterns in response to real and virtual perturbations (inducing threat or imposing cognitive challenges) similar to those experienced on a daily basis. By simultaneously measuring eye movements, self-reported emotional feelings, and physiological outcomes of arousal while walking, my lab will explore how different internal and external events constrain attention, influence arousal, and ultimately shape an individual's movement profile. Benefits to Neuroscience and Canada: Individual walking patterns may be the modern dynamic `fingerprint' for aging and related mobility issues. Understanding the information that is embedded in walking patterns allows us to explore the utility of monitoring walking to identify those at-risk for falls or dementia in older adults, and mood disorders in younger adults. This research will advance personalised assistive technology, robotics, and biomedical engineering focused on enhancing mobility tailored to individual traits rather than one-size fits all. In sum, the outcomes of this work have benefits to diverse fields of research, all aimed at improving the safety and wellbeing of Canadians.

直立行走是一种令人震惊的人类能力，我们经常认为这是理所当然的，但目前仍不清楚人类神经系统如何控制行走以及我们的行走模式中嵌入了多少信息。我的研究项目推进了对人类行走神经控制的复杂性的基本理解，以帮助解决这个问题：为什么人们的行走模式如此不同，以及行走行为可以揭示个人的什么？近年来，对行走控制的理解已经发生了变化，揭示了认知和情绪状态的影响作用。我的研究项目结合了运动学，生理学，虚拟现实和认知神经科学，以揭示步行的神经基础和有助于步行模式的认知情感因素。独特的我的工作是一个专注于特质（个人特定的）和状态（上下文/任务依赖）水平的认知情绪对个人的步行模式的影响。我之前的研究强调了这一重要性，该研究表明，个体之间焦虑的特质水平差异会显著降低认知能力，并使平衡控制和行走更容易受到干扰。因此，一个更详细和粒度的调查，剖析状态和特质依赖的步行模式（O 1），将推进唤醒和注意力（O2，O3），目前研究不足的领域各自随时间变化的作用的理解。为了充分理解人类步行模式的复杂性，我的实验室将利用一种多维方法，一方面描述肌肉和关节的相互作用，另一方面描述协调步行不同阶段的唤醒和注意力需求的生理反应。我们的实验方法研究步行模式，以应对真实的和虚拟的扰动（诱导威胁或施加认知挑战）类似于那些经历了日常生活。通过同时测量眼球运动，自我报告的情绪感受和行走时唤醒的生理结果，我的实验室将探索不同的内部和外部事件如何限制注意力，影响唤醒，并最终塑造个人的运动轮廓。 对神经科学和加拿大的好处：个人行走模式可能是衰老和相关流动性问题的现代动态“指纹”。了解嵌入在步行模式中的信息使我们能够探索监测步行的实用性，以识别老年人中有福尔斯或痴呆风险的人，以及年轻人中的情绪障碍。这项研究将推进个性化辅助技术，机器人技术和生物医学工程，重点是增强针对个人特征的移动性，而不是一刀切。总之，这项工作的成果有利于不同的研究领域，所有这些研究都旨在改善加拿大人的安全和福祉。