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

直立行走是一种惊人的人类能力，我们通常认为这是理所当然的，但人类神经系统是如何控制行走的，以及我们的行走模式中嵌入了多少信息，目前还不清楚。我的研究项目推进了对人类行走神经控制背后的复杂性的基础性理解，以帮助解决这个问题：为什么人的行走模式如此不同，行走行为可以揭示一个人的哪些方面？近年来，对行走控制的理解发生了变化，揭示了认知和情绪状态的重要作用。我的研究项目结合了运动运动学、生理学、虚拟现实和认知神经科学，以揭示步行的神经基础，以及影响步行模式的认知-情感因素。我的工作的独特之处在于关注了特质(特定于个人)和状态(取决于背景/任务)水平对个人行走模式的认知-情感影响。我之前的研究强调了这一重要性，该研究表明，不同个体在焦虑方面的特质水平差异会导致认知表现显着下降，并更容易受到平衡控制和行走方面的干扰。因此，对依赖于状态和特征的行走模式(O1)进行更详细和细粒度的研究，将促进对唤醒和注意力(O2，O3)各自随时间变化的作用的理解，这是目前研究不足的一个领域。为了充分理解人类行走模式的复杂性，我的实验室将使用一种多维方法，一方面描述肌肉和关节的相互作用，另一方面描述协调行走不同阶段的唤醒和注意力需求的生理反应。我们的实验方法检查了对真实和虚拟干扰(诱导威胁或施加认知挑战)做出反应的行走模式，类似于日常经历的模式。通过同时测量行走时的眼球运动、自我报告的情绪感受和唤醒的生理结果，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，并最终塑造一个人的运动轮廓。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行动问题的现代动态“指纹”。了解步行模式中包含的信息使我们能够探索步行监测的效用，以识别老年人摔倒或痴呆症以及年轻人情绪障碍的高危人群。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，重点是提高移动性，使其适合个人特征，而不是一刀切。总而言之，这项工作的成果对各个研究领域都有好处，所有这些研究都旨在改善加拿大人的安全和福祉。

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.