Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Complexity and dynamics of switched human balance control during quiet standing

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Biological Cybernetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this paper, we use a combination of numerical simulations, time series analysis, and complexity measures to investigate the dynamics of switched systems with noise, which are often used as models of human balance control during quiet standing. We link the results with complexity measures found in experimental data of human sway motion during quiet standing. The control model ensuring balance, which we use, is based on an act-and-wait control concept, that is, a human controller is switched on when a certain sway angle is reached. Otherwise, there is no active control present. Given a time series data, we determine how does it look a typical pattern of control strategy in our model system. We detect the switched nonlinearity in the system using a frequency analysis method in the absence of noise. We also analyse the effect of time delay on the existence of limit cycles in the system in the absence of noise. We perform the entropy and detrended fluctuation analyses in view of linking the switchings (and the dead zone) with the occurrences of complexity in the model system in the presence of noise. Finally, we perform the entropy and detrended fluctuation analyses on experimental data and link the results with numerical findings in our model example.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Asai Y, Tasaka Y, Nomura K, Nomura T, Casadio M, and Morasso P (2009) A model of postural control in quiet standing: robust compensation of delay-induced instability using intermittent activation of feedback control. PLoS ONE 4(7):e6169

  • Costa M, Peng AG (2002) Multiscale entropy analysis of complex physiologic time series. Phys Rev Lett 89:068102 2372–2376

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Duarte M, Sternad D (2008) Complexity of human postural control in young and older adults during prolonged standing. Exp Brain Res 191:265–276

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gawthorp P, Loram I, Lakie M, Gollee H (2011) Intermittent control: a computational theory of human control. Biol Cybern 104:31–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang N, Wu Z, Long S, Arnold K, Chen X, Blank K (2009) On instantaneous frequency. Adv Adapt Data Anal 1:177–299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ihlen E, Vereijken B (2010) Interaction dominant dynamics in human cognition: beyond 1/f fluctuations. J Exp Psychol Gen 139:436–463

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jeka J, Kiemel T, Creath R, Horak F, Peterka R (2004) Controlling human upright posture: velocity information is more accurate than position or acceleration. J Neurophysiol 92:2368–2379

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kiemel T, Oie KS, Jeka JJ (2002) Multisensory fusion and the stochastic structure of postural sway. Biol Cybern 87:262–277

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kloeden PE, Platen E (1995) Numerical solution of stochastic differential equations. Springer, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Kowalczyk P, Glendinning P, Brown M, Medrano-Cerda G, Dallali H, Shapiro J (2011) Modelling human balance using switched systems with linear feedback control. J R Soc Interface 9:234–245

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Loram I, Maganaris C, Lakie M (2005) Active, non-spring-like muscle movements in human postural sway: how mightparadoxical changes in muscle length be produced. J Physiol 564:281–293

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marple S (1999) Computing the discrete-time analytic signal via FFT. IEEE Trans Signal Process 47:2600–2603

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maurer C, Peterka RJ (2005) A new interpretation of spontaneous sway measures based on a simple model of human postural control. J Neurophysiol 93:189–200

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Peng C, Buldyrev S, Havlin S, Simons M, Stanley H, Goldberger A (1994) Mosaic organization of DNA nucleotides. Phys Rev E 49:1685

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peterka RJ, Loughlin PJ (2004) Dynamic regulation of sensorimotor integration in human postural control. J Neurophysiol 91:410–423

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Richman J, Moorman J (2000) Physiological time-series analysis using approximate entropy and sample entropy. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 278:H2039–H2049

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Winter DA, Patla AE, Riedtyk AE, Ishac M (2001) Ankle muscle stiffness in the control of balance during quiet standing. J Neurophysiol 85:2630–2633

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Computing, Mathematics and Digital Technology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD, UK

    Salam Nema & Piotr Kowalczyk

  2. The School of Healthcare Science, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD, UK

    Ian Loram

Authors
  1. Salam Nema
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Piotr Kowalczyk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ian Loram
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Salam Nema.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Nema, S., Kowalczyk, P. & Loram, I. Complexity and dynamics of switched human balance control during quiet standing. Biol Cybern 109, 469–478 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00422-015-0655-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00422-015-0655-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation