Invariance of locomotor trajectories across visual and gait direction conditions

Research Article
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Abstract

We studied the influence of vision (walking with or without vision) and of gait direction (walking forward or backward) on goal-oriented locomotion in humans. Subjects had to walk, in a free environment, from a given position and orientation towards a distant arrow which constrained their final position and orientation. We found that the average trajectories were mostly similar across the tested conditions, which suggests that locomotor trajectories are generated at a high cognitive level and, to some extent, independently of the detailed sensory and motor implementation levels. The variability profiles around the average trajectories were similar across the gait direction conditions but differed greatly across the visual conditions, indicating the existence of motor-independent and vision-dependent control mechanisms. Taken together, our observations argue further in favour of a top-down implementation of goal-oriented locomotion, where the control of locomotion is specified at the level of whole-body trajectories and then implemented through specific motor strategies.

Keywords

Human locomotion Vision Backward walking Invariance Locomotor trajectories 

Abbreviations

CNS

Central nervous system

VF

Vision forward

NF

No-vision forward

VB

Vision backward

NB

No-vision backward

TD

Trajectory deviation

MTD

Maximum trajectory deviation

VD

Velocity deviation

TS

Trajectory separation

MTS

Maximum trajectory separation

TL

Trajectory length

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Notes

Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the ANR PsiRob Locanthrope project and by a grant from Région Île-de-France. HH was supported in part by a fellowship award from the Alexander von Humboldt foundation. We would like to thank Daniel Bennequin for interesting discussions, Anne-Hélène Olivier and Armel Crétual for technical assistance and suggestions during the experiments and France Maloumian for her help in editing the figures.

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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 2011

Authors and Affiliations

  • Quang-Cuong Pham
    • 1
  • Alain Berthoz
    • 1
  • Halim Hicheur
    • 2
  1. 1.Laboratoire de Physiologie de la Perception et de l’ActionCollège de France CNRSParisFrance
  2. 2.Department of Cognitive Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain ResearchUniversity Clinic TuebingenTuebingenGermany

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