TY - JOUR

T1 - Stride-to-stride time intervals are independently affected by the temporal pattern and probability distribution of visual cues

AU - Raffalt, Peter C.

AU - Sommerfeld, Joel H.

AU - Stergiou, Nick

AU - Likens, Aaron D.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Elsevier B.V.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - The temporal structure of the variability of the stride-to-stride time intervals during paced walking is affected by the underlying autocorrelation function (ACF) of the pacing signal. This effect could be accounted for by differences in the underlying probability distribution function (PDF) of the pacing signal. We investigated the isolated and combined effect of the ACF and PDF of the pacing signals on the temporal structure of the stride-to-stride time intervals during visually guided paced overground walking. Ten young, healthy participants completed four walking trials while synchronizing their footstep to a visual pacing signal with a temporal pattern of either pink or white noise (different ACF) and either a Gaussian or normal probability distribution (different PDF). The scaling exponent from the Detrended Fluctuation Analysis was used to quantify the temporal structure of the stride-to-stride time intervals. The ACF and PDF of the pacing signals had independent effects on the scaling exponent of the stride-to-stride time intervals. The scaling exponent was higher during the pink noise pacing trials compared to the white noise pacing trials and higher during the trials with the Gaussian probability distribution compared to the uniform distribution. The results suggest that the sensorimotor system in healthy young individuals has an affinity towards external cues with a pink noise pattern and a Gaussian probability distribution during paced walking.

AB - The temporal structure of the variability of the stride-to-stride time intervals during paced walking is affected by the underlying autocorrelation function (ACF) of the pacing signal. This effect could be accounted for by differences in the underlying probability distribution function (PDF) of the pacing signal. We investigated the isolated and combined effect of the ACF and PDF of the pacing signals on the temporal structure of the stride-to-stride time intervals during visually guided paced overground walking. Ten young, healthy participants completed four walking trials while synchronizing their footstep to a visual pacing signal with a temporal pattern of either pink or white noise (different ACF) and either a Gaussian or normal probability distribution (different PDF). The scaling exponent from the Detrended Fluctuation Analysis was used to quantify the temporal structure of the stride-to-stride time intervals. The ACF and PDF of the pacing signals had independent effects on the scaling exponent of the stride-to-stride time intervals. The scaling exponent was higher during the pink noise pacing trials compared to the white noise pacing trials and higher during the trials with the Gaussian probability distribution compared to the uniform distribution. The results suggest that the sensorimotor system in healthy young individuals has an affinity towards external cues with a pink noise pattern and a Gaussian probability distribution during paced walking.

KW - Fractal: Gait

KW - Metronome

KW - Paced Walking

KW - Variability

KW - Visual Cues

U2 - 10.1016/j.neulet.2022.136909

DO - 10.1016/j.neulet.2022.136909

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 36228775

AN - SCOPUS:85142940244

VL - 792

JO - Neuroscience letters. Supplement

JF - Neuroscience letters. Supplement

SN - 0167-6253

M1 - 136909

ER -