This study examined the influence of both optic flow characteristics and intention on postural control responses. Two groups of 10 adults each were exposed to the room's movement either at 0.6 cm/s ...(low velocity group) or 1.0 cm/s (high velocity group). All the participants stood in the upright stance inside of a moving room and were informed about the room movement only after the fourth trial as they were asked to resist to its influence. Results revealed that participants from both groups were influenced by the imposed visual stimulus in the first trials, but the coupling strength was weaker for the high velocity group. The request to resist the visual influences decreased visual influences on body sway, but only for the low velocity group. These results indicate that intention might play a role in stimulus influences on body sway but it is stimulus dependent.
The Brazilian Journal of Motor Behavior (BJMB) is a quadriannual, peer-reviewed, free of charge/fee and open-access journal published by the Brazilian Society of Motor Behavior (SOCIBRACOM). The BJMB ...has published original contributions within the multidisciplinary study of human motor behavior, in the broad scope of motor control, development and learning, movement disorders, sports, clinical, theoretical and model studies. Since 2019 the BJMBpublishes manuscripts only in English. In the same year, BJMB started to invite researchers to be guest editors in article collections, providing an excellent opportunity to promote high-quality contents within the field.
The BJMB is the main motor behavior journal in the Latin American. It is widely recognized for its significant academic contribution and indexed in the UlrichsWeb Global Serial Directory, Diadorium, Gale Directory Library, Google Scholar, Road Directory of Open Access Scholary resources and Red Iberoamericana de Innovación y Conocimiento Científico. The number of edition and papers has sustainable and significantly increased in the last years, with over 500 authors contributing with 121 manuscripts, distributed in 40 numbers. The time of peer-reviewed process is short (first revision- 26 days) and paper publication is quick (57 days).
The BJMB was launched with its first edition published in December of 2006 and, thus, we are celebrating its 15thanniversary. For that, the BJMB launches a new type of manuscript: INFOGRAPHIC. This initiative aims to provide a quick, easy-to-use and enjoyable publication that conveys notable knowledge. Two types of infographics will be publishable: a) theory perspective: visual material to theory acknowledge to facilitate the understanding of models, theory frameworks, concepts, principles, and approaches in the field; b) article infographic: visual material about interventional effects on motor learning, development and control sustained by reviews and/or meta-analysis.
The infographic section will be added to those already existing: research, systematic review and meta-analysis, mini review, scoping review, research notes, current opinion, critique, and tutorials. It is interesting to highlight the section about tutorial, which emphasizes and provides reflection on the use of one or several methods or self-instruction in motor behavior. Finally, the current opinion section publishes pieces of diverse authors around the world that provide perspectives on a hot, relevant, and perhaps controversial topic within the scope of BJMB.
We would like to congratulate all for this important occasion and to wish that the BJMB continues publishing impactful and relevant contributions in the motor behavior field still for many years to come.
BACKGROUND: The Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest) is an efficient screening tool healthcare professionals use to predict the risk of falls in older adults. However, the Mini-BESTest ...cutoff scores to classify fallers and non-fallers were established using men and women in the same sample. Considering the higher number and prevalence of falls in older women, it is important to know the Mini-BESTest accuracy and the cutoff score specifically for this population.
AIM: We examined the capability and accuracy of the Mini-BESTest for identifying fallers and non-fallers female older adults without neurological impairments and established the cutoff scores according to different age groups.
METHOD:Eighty-one female older adults were classified into fallers (n=40) and non-fallers (n=41) groups according to their retrospective history of falls in the last 12 months. Fallers and non-fallers were divided into three age groups according to the following ranges: 65-69 years, 70-74 years, and 75+ years. We used the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to determine the relative performances of the Mini-BESTest score for classifying participants with and without a history of falls.
RESULTS: The Mini-BESTest is a good and highly accurate tool for identifying female Brazilian fallers and non-fallers. The Mini-BESTest cutoff scores established to classify fallers and non-fallers female older adults in the different age groups were 26 points for 65-69 years and 24 points for 70-74 years and 75+ years.
INTERPRETATION: The Mini-BESTest is an important tool that health professionals in clinical practice can use to estimate the risk of falls for older Brazilian women.
We investigated the effect of asymmetric load carrying using different bag types with the dominant and non-dominant hands on upper limb coordination, walking adaptations, and stability control in a ...curb-descend task in older adults. Fourteen participants walked on a pathway with a 16-cm curb located in the middle. They walked without a load or asymmetrically carrying a load corresponding to 7% of their body mass. The weight was placed in two different bags (with and without strap) and carried by the dominant and non-dominant hands. The upper limb coordination analysis showed that the anti-phase pattern between right and left shoulder reduced considerably due to the almost motionless shoulder of the side carrying the load. The spatial–temporal walking parameters and curb negotiation variables were unaffected by load carriage. The margin of stability (MoS) was unchanged by load transportation in the AP direction. In the ML direction, taking the bag on the same side of the foot contacting the floor increased the MoS; however, when the load was incorporated into the COM model, the MoS did not differ anymore from the control condition. The changes in interlimb coordination reflected a strategy to prevent unexpected movements of the bag that could threaten body stability. Healthy older adults were able to predict the consequences of carrying a load and kept the MoS constant. They compensated for the disturbance caused by the transport of a relatively moderate load and performed the descending curb task successfully.
BACKGROUND: Fear of falling (FOF) is related to worse locomotor performance, is a predictor of decline in functionality, and predisposes falls in older adults. It is necessary to investigate how FOF ...influences locomotor parameters during walking and in obstacle avoidance in older adults.
AIM: To investigate the relationship between FOF and the locomotor variables during walking through and obstacle avoidance with different physical characteristics.
METHOD: 22 older adults participated in this study and were invited to perform three tasks: 1) Walking Through; 2) Walking with a solid obstacle and 3) Walking with a fragile obstacle.
RESULTS: Correlations were found between FOF and following variables: 1) Walking Through: step velocity (r=-0.640, p=0.003), width (r=0.641, p=0.003), double support time (r=0.523, p=0.022); 2) Solid obstacle: step velocity (r=-0.666, p=0.002), length (r=-0.758, p<0.001), foot-obstacle horizontal distance (r=-0.479, p=0.038), right stride velocity (r=-0.534, p=0.019), length (r=-0.522, p=0.022), left stride velocity (r=-0.551, p=0.014), left stride duration (r=0.561, p=0.012); 3) Fragilid obstacle: step velocity (r=-0.629, p=0.004), length (r=-0.556, p=0.014), foot-obstacle distance (r=-0.540, p=0.017), obstacle-foot distance (r=-0.492, p=0.032), right stride velocity (r=-0.583, p=0.009), length (r=-0.498, p=0.030), left stride velocity (r=-0.574, p=0.010), length (r=-0.462, p=0.047), width (r=-0.514, p=0.024), right stride duration (r=0.479, p=0.038), left stride duration (r=0.646, p=0.003).
CONCLUSION: The characteristics of the obstacle did not influence the older adults FOF during walking through and obstacle avoidance. Although they adopt predictive and reactive compensatory adaptations in an attempt to make the task safer, these adaptations actually make the task more dangerous and increase the risk of stumbling and falling.
BACKGROUND: Different factors can influence the performance of postural control (PC), one of them being muscle function, which emerges as the neuromuscular capacity to generate tension adaptable to ...postural disturbances in the lower limbs.
AIM: To investigate the influence of joint torque parameters of the lower limbs (hip, knee, and ankle) on the variables of postural balance, analyzed by static posturography in young adults.
METHOD: This study included 25 young adults (23.08 ± 4.44 years) who were submitted to motor tasks alternating: the base of support; the surface and vision conditions on a force plate. Joint torque was measured using an isokinetic dynamometer.
RESULTS: The hip-abduction, -adduction, and -extension torques were negatively associated with the variables of center of pressure displacement in several conditions, both the most challenging and the least challenging ones. The ankle torque (dorsiflexion and plantar flexion) was negatively associated with postural control only in the semi-tandem condition with a rigid surface and eyes open. On the other hand, the knee torque was positively associated with the center of pressure displacement. Power measurements were more associated with postural control than peak torque.
CONCLUSION: In young adults, there seems to be a greater use of the hip strategy, with greater influence of hip torque in relation to ankle torque for postural balance control. Therefore, the strengthening of hip muscles could have an impact on postural control in young adults.
Falls and motor behavior in older adults Moraes, Renato; Batistela, Rosangela A.; Santos, Luciana O. ...
Brazilian journal of motor behavior,
12/2021, Letnik:
15, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
This mini-review focuses on intrinsic risk factors for falls, particularly the changes in motor behavior of faller older adults. Our purpose is to present evidence that faller older adults exhibit ...motor behavior changes beyond the typically investigated standing and walking tasks. We showed initially that postural control alterations with more prominent differences for fallers than non-fallers seem to depend on postural demands, availability of sensory information, and tasks performed concomitantly with the balancing task. We also provided evidence that walking speed is the most consistent aspect to differentiate fallers from non-fallers. This reduction in walking speed may be a strategy to improve gait stability to avoid a fall. More recent studies have shown that fallers presented modifications in the control of the prehension movement. These changes suggest that fallers have changes in movement categories other than balancing and walking, suggesting that fallers’ difficulties are broader than previously thought. The fact that faller older adults have modifications in the control of upper and lower limbs is indicative of a change in motor behavior involving gross and fine motor behaviors. The understanding of a faller as an individual with global changes in motor behavior has important implications for fall prevention and rehabilitation programs for these individuals.
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