Babies are born with just two walking primitives and this primitive stepping reflex is the foundation on which children build an independent walking motion.
Mobility Plays An Important Role in Kids With Disabilities
Physical activity has important physiological benefits for children, but it also is a vehicle through which children can engage with their peers and interact.
Physical activity has important physiological benefits for children, but it also is a vehicle through which children can engage with their peers and interact.
‘Neural locomotor primitives can help improve walking in patients recovering from spinal cord injury and cerebral palsy.’
Dr Nadia Dominici leads a group at VU University, Netherlands, investigating the neural patterns underlying the development of locomotion. "We look at the emergence of walking behaviors in both human babies and infant animals, as they develop," she explains. "We are showing that humans and other terrestrial animals learn how to walk in surprisingly similar ways." The group has shown that movements such as walking are created from the flexible combination of a small set of groups of muscles that simplify the control of locomotion, called 'locomotor primitives'. Dr Dominici expands on this, saying: "We found that human babies are born with just two walking primitives: the first directs the legs to bend and extend; the second commands the baby's legs to alternate -- left, right, left, right -- in order to move forward. To walk independently, babies learn two more primitives, which we believe handle balance control, step timing and weight shifting."
These primitives are unexpectedly alike throughout the different animals that the group has studied, as Dr Dominici explains: "Despite all of the differences in body structure and evolution, locomotion in several animal species could start from common primitives, maybe even stemming from a common ancestral neural network."
External Brain Stimulation Improves Mobility in Parkinson's Patients: Johns Hopkins
In some people with Parkinson's disease, dopamine neurons generally die on one side of the brain, affecting the ability of the patient to exert effort.
In some people with Parkinson's disease, dopamine neurons generally die on one side of the brain, affecting the ability of the patient to exert effort.
Source-Eurekalert
Stress Likely to Cause Irreversible Weathering in Body
Young adults who come from adverse backgrounds and achieve a higher social status are more likely to be unhealthy later in life.
Young adults who come from adverse backgrounds and achieve a higher social status are more likely to be unhealthy later in life.
Free Software to Make Computer Use Easier for Those With Motor Disabilities
A new invention by the University of Washington scientists will help people with motor disabilities to use the computer mouse easily.
A new invention by the University of Washington scientists will help people with motor disabilities to use the computer mouse easily.
