Explicit Control of Step Timing During Split-Belt Walking Reveals Interdependent Recalibration of Movements in Space and Time

In this study, we explicitly altered subjects’ limb motion in either space or time during split-belt walking to determine its impact on the adaptation of the other domain. Interestingly, we observed that motor adaptation in the spatial domain was susceptible to altering the temporal domain, whereas motor adaptation in the temporal domain was resilient to modifying the spatial domain. This nonreciprocal relation suggests a hierarchical organization such that the control of timing in locomotion has an effect on the control of limb position. This is of translational interest because clinical populations often have a greater deficit in one domain compared to 14 the other. Our results suggest that explicit changes to temporal deficits cannot occur without modifying the spatial control of the limb.
Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research