This study of the relationship between dynamic balance and rhythm tests the hypothesis that a positive relationship exists between these two factors. One hundred fifty-two fifth- and sixth-graders were given the Nelson Balance Test and an adaptation of Ashton's Practical Rhythm Test. The Pearson product-moment coefficient of correlation was used in the analysis of the data. The reliability of the tests was very low. The relationship between dynamic balance and rhythm was . 08, an unreliable correlation from which no conclusions could be drawn. It was recommended that improved methods of measuring dynamic balance and rhythm be developed for elementary pupils.

Thesis. 1976. M.S.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics. / Bibliography: p.R1-R5. / by Joshua D. Borah. / M.S.

Our long-term goal is to better understand how the nervous system controls muscles to generate movement. Our overall hypothesis is that the nervous system coordinates muscles by flexibly recruiting muscle synergies, defined here as groups of muscles simultaneously activated in fixed ratios, in order to map high-level task goals into motor actions. Here we studied muscle coordination in the context of balance control - a task that requires multisensory integration and coordination of multiple muscles, yet has a clear goal of controlling the center of mass (CoM), which can be achieved by using different strategies. If muscle synergies are a common mechanism used by the nervous system for balance control, we would expect to see the same muscle synergies used in a variety of strategies. Therefore we investigated the robustness of the muscle synergies in a variety of human postural strategies, such as standing, stepping and walking, to determine whether muscle synergies are a consistent underlying mechanism used by the nervous system. We hypothesized that muscle synergies are recruited to control a task-level variable (e.g. CoM direction) that is not specific to a particular postural strategy. We demonstrated that similar muscle synergies are used in reactive responses to standing balance perturbations, in reactive stepping responses, in walking, and in reactive postural responses during walking, suggesting a common neural mechanism not only for balance control in various contexts, but for movement in general. The differences in the timing and spatial organization of muscle activity in standing, stepping, and walking postural responses were largely explained by altering the recruitment of a common set of muscle synergies, with the addition of only a single muscle synergy specific to each behavior. We demonstrated the functionality of muscle synergies by showing that each muscle synergy was correlated with a particular force produced at the ground and component of CoM acceleration both in stepping and in non-stepping postural responses. These results suggest that muscle synergies reflect the neural organization of the motor system, representing motor modules recruited to achieve a common biomechanical function across different postural behaviors. Additionally, muscle synergies used during walking were recruited during atypical phases of the gait cycle in response to an unexpected perturbation, in order to maintain balance and continue walking, suggesting a common neural mechanism for different balance requirements during walking. The compositions of muscle synergies used during walking were similar to those used during walking perturbations as well as standing balance perturbations, suggesting that muscle synergies represent common neural mechanisms for CoM movement control under different dynamic conditions. These results are of interest to a variety of fields such as rehabilitation science, prosthetics, and robotics.

published_or_final_version / Sports Science / Master / Master of Science in Sports Science

Changes in postural stability following sensory manipulation were investigated among Parkinson's disease patients and healthy older adults. Sixteen Parkinson's disease patients (PD; mean age 68.2 + 2.7 years) and sixteen older adults (control; mean age 67.6 + 2.6 years) performed quiet standing trials that progressed through baseline, sensory manipulation, and reintegration. Postural control following visual deprivation was assessed following alternate removal and reinsertion of visual information. Postural recovery following sensory incongruence was assessed following the termination of visual, somatosensory, and visuosomatosensory incongruence. PD patients' balance was disrupted following visual deprivation, and was initially disrupted when visual information was returned. PD patients' pstural recovery was comparable to control subjects when sensory incongruence ended. These findings indicate that situations of visual deprivation in particular are initially disruptive for PD patients, and imply initial difficulty for sensory reorganization in these patients. Our results provide insight into environmental situations imposing greater fall risk among the parkinsonian population. / xii, 81 leaves ; 29 cm.

The effects of postural threat on gait initiation and steady state gait among Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients and age-matched adults were examined. Ten healthy adults (CTRL; mean age= 68.8 ± 8.4, range 56-80 years) and ten PD patients (PDOFF / ON ; mean age= 69.7 ± 10.3, range 54-81 years) initiated gait and continued with steady state walking along a walkway of two different height conditions. PD patients were first tested in a non-medicated state followed by testing in a medicated state. The results showed that gait initiation and steady state gait deficits inherent to PD are exacerbated in a postural threatening environment. As well, medication efficacy for overcoming parkinsonian deficits may be context dependent. These findings confirm the dynamic nature of movement deficits characteristic of parkinsonian patients and provide empirical evidence for specific environments that can create movement difficulties for people with PD. / x, 59 leaves : ill. ; 29 cm. --

Thesis (D. Music)--Northwestern University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-136).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-121). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2004. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 135-143). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-62). Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.