Anti-phase Coordination Patterns Research Articles

Mindfulness meditation and bimanual coordination control: study of acute effects and the mediating role of cognition.

Mindfulness meditation (MM) involves and benefits cognitive functioning, especially attention and inhibition processes, which are also implicated in the control of complex motor skills, such as bimanual coordination. Thus, MM practice could potentially enhance bimanual coordination control through its cognitive benefits. Accordingly, in this study, we investigated the acute effects of a brief MM session on bimanual coordination dynamics, attention, and inhibition abilities, as well as the mediation link between MM's cognitive and motor improvements. Healthy meditation-naïve (novices, n = 29) and meditation-experienced participants (meditators, n = 26) were randomly assigned to either an active control intervention (attentive listening to a documentary podcast) or a MM intervention (breathing and open monitoring exercise), both lasting 15 min. In the motor domain, pre- and post-tests assessed participants' ability to intentionally maintain the anti-phase coordination pattern at maximal movement frequency and resist the spontaneous transition to the in-phase pattern. In the cognitive domain, the participants' attentional, perceptual inhibition and motor inhibition abilities were assessed. Following both interventions, meditators and novices improved the stability of their anti-phase coordination pattern (p = 0.034, ηp2 = 0.10) and their attentional performance (p's < 0.001, ηp2 > 0.40). Only following the MM intervention, meditators and novices improved their ability to intentionally maintain the anti-phase pattern by delaying or even suppressing the spontaneous transition to in-phase (p's < 0.05, ηp2 ≥ 0.11), and improved concomitantly their motor inhibition scores (p = 0.011, ηp2 = 0.13). No effects were found on perceptual inhibition. The increase in motor inhibition capacities did not however statistically mediate the observed acute effects of MM on bimanual coordination control. We showed that a single MM session may have acute benefits in the motor domain regardless of the familiarity with MM practice. Although these benefits were concomitant to enhanced attentional and motor inhibition abilities, no formal mediation link could be established between the observed motor and cognitive benefits. This study paves the way for the investigation of the mechanisms underlying MM effects on motor control, as well as longer-term benefits.

Movement Coordination during Functional Single-Leg Squat Tests in Healthy, Recreational Athletes

The single-leg squat (SLS) represents a functional movement task for determining leg function. Objective movement analysis is required to evaluate inter-limb symmetry and movement coordination. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate inter-limb symmetry of SLS kinematics and movement coordination using the modified vector coding technique. A 3D motion capture system and electromyography were used to assess SLS execution and muscle activation of hip ab- and adductors of 17 healthy, recreational athletes. Coordination patterns of hip, knee, and ankle joint movement were assessed by the modified vector coding technique. Statistical parametric mapping revealed no significant differences between both legs (p &gt; 0.05). Inter-limb symmetry also appeared in movement coordination (p &gt; 0.05). Additionally, the analysis of movement coordination indicates knee-dominant, in-phase coordination. However, coordination patterns were different between downward movement, change of direction, and upward movement (p &lt; 0.001). Since perturbations during SLS execution, such as moments of imbalance, occur as anti-phase coordination patterns, the analysis of coordination patterns can be used as a new evaluation method for SLS performance. Furthermore, the modified vector coding technique might be helpful to analyze different compensation strategies during the SLS in symptomatic individuals.

Методы и критерии оценки динамического сагиттального баланса тела (несистематизированный обзор)

Abstract Radiography of the spine makes it possible to assess disorders in the global sagittal balance of the spine only in statics. Therefore, the assessment of the dynamic sagittal balance according to the data of three-dimensional (3D) gait analysis including the balance of the trunk in general (in the sagittal and frontal planes) and the lumbosacral area, in particular, and determination of the compensatory mechanisms employed by the patient while walking due to the body segments and limbs, is getting more topical. Foreign publications on these topics in the last decade in the search resources of PubMed, e-Library, Cochrane Library and Scholar Google are not numerous, and there are no domestic ones at all, that, in turn, requires an independent detailed study. Purpose Primary analysis of the literature with the identification of methods and criteria for assessing the dynamic balance of the body. Materials and Methods In preparation of the review, the search and information resources of PubMed, eLibrary, Cochrane Library and Scholar Google were used. In the resources of the scientific e-Llibrary, there are no publications on the sagittal dynamic balance, that, in turn, requires an independent detailed analysis. Results and Discussion The postural model that considers the trajectory of movement of the center of mass (CoP) below foot was used to assess the dynamic sagittal balance. It is possible to evaluate the compensatory mechanisms for maintenance of dynamic sagittal balance basing only on the data of three-dimensional (3D) analysis of gait motions. Compensated / decompensated condition of the dynamic balance was defined according to the data of the ground reaction in 3 planes, the motions of the chest with regards to the pelvis, and according to the evaluation of the frontal vertical alignment (CVA-G) and sagittal vertical alignment (SVA-G). Conclusion The standard medical block for 3D gait analysis allows to perform quantitative estimation of compensatory mechanisms for sagittal imbalance, such as in-phase / antiphase coordination pattern of the trunk with regards to the pelvis; the compensated / decompensated condition of the dynamic balance according to the Ground Reaction data in three planes; and compensatory mechanisms, manifested in the parameters of the kinetics and kinematics of the lower limb joints. Assessment of dynamic sagittal balance is carried out in laboratories, where there is a software with an additional calculation option. Two main directions were proposed for its formation, taking into account either the maximum approximation to the X-ray criterion, or to the anatomical position of the center of mass.

Interlimb Coordination Performance in Seated Position in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis: Reduced Amplitude Over 6 min and Higher Coordination Variability in Persons With Walking Fatigability.

Background: Walking fatigability is prevalent in MS and can be measured by a percentage distance decline during a 6-min walking test. Walking is characterized by an accurate and consistent interlimb antiphase coordination pattern. A decline in coordination each minute during a 6-min walking test is observed in persons with MS (pwMS). Measuring coordination during a 6-min seated coordination task with minimized balance and strength requirements, is assumed to examine a more fundamental interlimb antiphase coordination pattern in pwMS. This research aimed to answer the following research question: How does interlimb antiphase coordination pattern change during a seated coordination task in pwMS with walking fatigability (WF), non-walking fatigability (NWF) and Healthy Controls (HC)?Methods: Thirty-five pwMS and 13 HC participated. Interlimb coordination was assessed by a seated 6-min coordination task (6MCT) with the instruction to perform antiphase lower leg movements as fast as possible. Outcomes were Phase Coordination Index (PCI) and movement parameters (amplitude, frequency).Results: Mixed models revealed a significant effect of time for the the variability of generating interlimb movements, with a difference in mean values between WF and HC. A significant group∗time interaction effect was found for movement amplitude, represented by a significant decrease in movement amplitude in the WF group from minute 1 to the end of the task.Conclusion: The higher variability in interlimb coordination and decrease in movement amplitude over time during the 6MCT in the WF group could be an indicator of decreased control of fundamental antiphase coordination pattern in pwMS with walking fatigability.Clinical Trial Registration: www.clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT04142853 (registration date: October 29, 2019) and NCT03938558 (registration date: May 6, 2019).

Sprinting kinematics and inter-limb coordination patterns at varying slope inclinations

ABSTRACT Uphill training is applied to induce specific overload on the musculoskeletal system to improve sprinting mechanics. This study aimed to identify unique kinematic features of uphill sprinting at different slopes and to suggest practical implications based on comparisons we early stance phase. At take-off, steeper slopes induced significantly more extended joint angles and higher ROMs during the late stance phase. Compared with moderate slopes, more anti-phase coordination patterns were detected at steeper slopes. Thus, uphill sprinting at steeper slopes shares essential kinematic features with the early acceleration phase of level sprinting. Moderate inclinations induce biomechanical adaptations similar to those in the late acceleration phase of level sprinting. Hence, the specific transfer of uphill sprinting to acceleration depends on the slope inclinations.

Bimanual Coordination in a Whole-Body Dynamic Balance Sport, Slacklining: A Comparison of Novice and Expert.

As previous studies have suggested that bimanual coordination is important for slacklining, the authors questioned whether this important skill plays a role in the performance of a fundamental task of slacklining. To address this question, the authors compared single-leg standing on the slackline between novices and experts in terms of bimanual coordination dynamics within a dynamical systems framework using relative phase and recurrence quantification analysis measures. Five novices and five experts participated in the experiment. Participants were required to perform single-leg standing on a slackline. To collect motion data while slacklining, the authors used a 3D motion capture system and obtained time series data on the wrist position of both hands. The authors compared bimanual coordination dynamics between novices and experts. Although this preliminary study was limited in its sample size, the results suggest that experts tend to show a more antiphase coordination pattern than novices do and that they can more sustainably coordinate their hands compared with novices in terms of temporal structure in diagonal-related recurrence measures (i.e.,maxline, mean line, and percentage determinism).

Effects of footedness and stance asymmetry confirm an inter-leg metastable coordination dynamics of standing posture

We investigated the patterns of coordination between the left and right legs that support the task of maintaining an upright standing posture. We used cross-wavelet analyses to assess coordination between the centers of pressure under the left and right feet. We recruited participants with a lateralized functional preference for their right leg, and we manipulated whether these participants stood with symmetric/asymmetric stances and whether their eyes were open or closed. Our hypotheses were derived from the Haken-Kelso-Bunz (HKB) model of interlimb coordination dynamics. Consistent with HKB model predictions, we observed (1) coordination taking the form of metastable, transient epochs of stable phase relations, (2) preferences for in-phase and anti-phase coordination patterns, and (3) changes in pattern stability and phase leads associated with both stance asymmetry and right-side lateral preference. The form and stability of observed coordination patterns were mediated by the availability of visual information. Our findings confirm the existence of a metastable coordination dynamic associated with the task of maintaining upright stance. We discuss the implications of these findings in the context of evaluating the utility of the HKB model for understanding the functional organization of the posture system.

Using visual and/or kinesthetic information to stabilize intrinsic bimanual coordination patterns is a function of movement frequency.

Coordination dynamics suggest that both in-phase and anti-phase movements are intrinsic and can be readily performed without practice. As movement frequency increases, individuals performing anti-phase movement inevitably switch to perform in-phase movement. However, due to different frames of reference used to define intrinsic coordination patterns in visual and kinesthetic domains, the perception of intrinsic coordination patterns could be ambiguous, which leads to the question whether the visually or kinesthetically perceived information is used to maintain the intrinsic coordination patterns. The current study explored how the consistency between visual and kinesthetic information would impact the performance and the associated metabolic energy consumption of intrinsic bimanual coordination patterns as movement frequency increased. Thirty participants were recruited and randomly assigned to one of three groups ("Info + Spatial +", "Info + Spatial -", and "Info-Spatial +") to perform intrinsic bimanual coordination tasks using a computer-joystick system at low, high, and self-selected frequencies. The visual and kinesthetic information were manipulated to be either consistent or inconsistent by changing the spatial mapping between the motion of display and motion of joysticks. The results showed that the kinesthetic information was largely used to maintain the stability of intrinsic coordination patterns at high frequency, which could be an energy-conserving solution. However, spatial mapping alone seemed to be beneficial for keeping the visually perceived in-phase and anti-phase coordination patterns equally stable at low movement frequency, and spatially mapping the visual information to be consistent with kinesthetic information greatly enhanced the stability of anti-phase coordination. The dynamical use of visual and kinesthetic information for control of bimanual coordination is discussed.

Inter-segmental coordination of the spine is altered during lifting in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: A cross-sectional study.

The abnormal inter-segmental coordination of the spine during lifting could be used to monitor disease progression and rehabilitation efficacy in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). This study aimed to compare the inter-segmental coordination patterns and variability of the spine during lifting between patients with AS (n = 9) and control (n = 15) groups.Continuous relative (CRP) and deviation (DP) phases between each segment of the spine (two lumbar and three thorax segments) and lumbosacral joint were calculated. The CRP and DP curves among participants were decomposed into few functional principal components (FPC) via functional principal component analysis (FPCA). The FPC score of CRP or DP of the two groups were compared, and its relationship with the indexes of spinal mobility was investigated.Compared with the control group, the AS patients showed more anti-phase coordination patterns in each relative upper spine segment and lumbosacral joint. In addition, either less or more variation was found in the coordination of each relative lower spine segment and lumbosacral joint during different time periods of lifting for these patients. Some cases were considerably related to spinal mobility.the inter-segmental coordination of the spine was altered during lifting in AS patients to enable movement, albeit inefficient and might cause spinal mobility impairment.

The Development of Bimanual Coordination Across Toddlerhood.

The Development of Bimanual Coordination Across Toddlerhood.

Bimanual control strategies.

Two tasks (A and B) were designed which required participants to sequentially move through four target positions in a Lissajous display. Task A was designed so that participants could complete the task using either unimanual or bimanual control strategies. Task B was designed so that participants could complete the task using relatively simple or more complex bimanual control strategies. The purpose of this study was to determine which control strategy the participant utilises to complete the two tasks when Lissajous displays are provided and to determine the degree to which the size of the targets influences the control strategy chosen under these conditions. The movement amplitude between two adjacent targets and the target size resulted in an Index of Difficulty (ID) of 2 and 4 for each task. For both tasks, participants practised 15 trials (30 s per trial) for each ID and then was administered a test trial. The results for both Tasks A and B indicated that the ID2 condition resulted in a circular path, whereas the ID4 condition resulted in a straight-line path on the Lissajous plot. This suggests that at the low ID condition participants produced a continuous 1:1 with 90° phase offset bimanual coordination pattern. At the high ID condition, the participants consistently chose to switch to a more stable unimanual left and right movements in Task A and to transition between in-phase and anti-phase bimanual coordination patterns in Task B. In addition, both limbs' movements were more harmonic in the low ID condition than in the high ID condition.

Investigating the effects of movement speed on the lumbopelvic coordination during trunk flexion

Movement speed during trunk flexion has long been reported to affect task performance and biomechanical responses. The current study investigated how movement speed changed lumbopelvic coordination, especially lumbopelvic continuous relative phase and phase variability during trunk flexion. Eighteen subjects executed a paced trunk flexion routine over time periods of 3, 7, 11 and 15seconds. The results demonstrated that compared with the 3-s condition, lumbopelvic continuous relative phase was 98.8% greater in the 15-s condition, indicating a more anti-phase coordination pattern. This pattern is suggested to mitigate the increased spinal loading associated with the longer duration of muscle exertion. Additionally, phase variability was 18.8% greater in the 15-s trials than the 3-s trials, such an unstable coordination pattern is likely caused by the more active neuromuscular control. Findings of this study provide important information about the effects of movement speed on lumbopelvic coordination during trunk flexion.

The coordinated movement of the spine and pelvis during running

Previous research into running has demonstrated consistent patterns in pelvic, lumbar and thoracic motions between different human runners. However, to date, there has been limited attempt to explain why observed coordination patterns emerge and how they may relate to centre of mass (CoM) motion. In this study, kinematic data were collected from the thorax, lumbar spine, pelvis and lower limbs during over ground running in n=28 participants. These data was subsequently used to develop a theoretical understanding of the coordination of the spine and pelvis in all three body planes during the stance phase of running. In the sagittal plane, there appeared to be an antiphase coordinate pattern which may function to increase femoral inclination at toe off whilst minimising anterior–posterior accelerations of the CoM. In the medio-lateral direction, CoM motion appears to facilitate transition to the contralateral foot. However, an antiphase coordination pattern was also observed, most likely to minimise unnecessary accelerations of the CoM. In the transverse plane, motion of the pelvis was observed to lag slightly behind that of the thorax. However, it is possible that the close coupling between these two segments facilitates the thoracic rotation required to passively drive arm motion. This is the first study to provide a full biomechanical rationale for the coordination of the spine and pelvis during human running. This insight should help clinicians develop an improved understanding of how spinal and pelvic motions may contribute to, or result from, common running injuries.

A Dynamic Systems Approach to the Effects of Aging on Bimanual Coordination

The present study examined the effects of aging on the execution of a bimanual coordination task in a classical phase transition paradigm in which coordination patterns (in-phase and anti-phase) and movement frequency were manipulated. Two groups of adults, the so-called young (average age 26 years) and old (average age 71 years) participants, performed both in-phase and anti-phase patterns at different frequencies. As we expected variability of relative phase was larger for older participants than for younger ones for both the in-phase and the anti-phase coordination patterns. Moreover, phase transitions occurred at lower frequencies for older participants and more transitions were observed for older than for younger participants. Although no specific hypotheses were made about the prominent source(s) of age-related changes in coordination dynamics (i.e., an alteration in the coupling function and/or an increase of the magnitude of noise), our results suggest that these changes might result from increases in the (neural) noise to be found in the (bimanual) action system.

Horsing Around: Spontaneous Four-Legged Coordination

ABSTRACT Motivated by previous research suggesting that informational and mechanical interlimb coupling can stabilize rhythmic movement patterns, the authors show that stable 4-legged patterns between 2 individuals, either walking or running, can emerge unintentionally from simple forms of coupling. Specifically, they show that the leg movements of pairs of naive individuals become spontaneously phase locked when visually or mechanically coupled via a foam appendage. Analysis of each of the phase locked trials revealed distinct preferences for particular 4-legged patterns, with interpersonal in- and anti-phase coordination patterns (equitable with quadruped pace and trot, respectively) observed almost exclusively. Preference for either pattern depended on the strength of coupling. The authors discuss these findings in light of previous claims that the patterns of human and animal locomotion—as well as coordinated movements in general—can emerge from lawful coupling relations that exist between the subcomponents of perceptual-motor systems.

Torso Movement Constraint in Stability of Bimanual Coordination

This study investigated the relation between postural movement and upper-limb coordination stability. Adults produced bimanual circles using in-phase and anti-phase coordination patterns in time to an increasing rate metronome (i.e., movement-time instruction) in the horizontal (e.g., tabletop) and vertical (e.g., "wall" perpendicular to body) planes. All participants produced the instructed in- and anti-phase patterns. Coordination stability (i.e., SD of relative phase) was larger for anti-phase than in-phase patterns in both planes; however, anti-phase coordination stability was lower in the vertical plane than in the horizontal plane. Torso movement was larger during anti-phase coordination patterns in the horizontal plane, whereas it was larger during in-phase coordination patterns in the vertical plane. These results indicate that different orientations of the same task can produce different results for stability of coordination. This information may be important for performing and learning complex motor-coordination movements (e.g., playing musical instruments).

Effects of Force Production and Trial Duration on Bimanual Performance and Attentional Demands in a Rhythmic Coordination Task

The current study investigated the influence of resistance to motion and trial duration on the stability of bimanual coordination patterns and attentional demands. Seven participants performed in-phase and antiphase coordination patterns at a frequency of 1.5 Hz for 300 s. Resistance opposed to pronation-supination movements was manipulated. Attentional demands associated with the bimanual coordination patterns performance were measured using a probe reaction-time task. Results showed that variations in the level of resistance to motion, which induced corresponding variations in the amount of muscle activation during both the in-phase and the antiphase pattern, were associated with longer reaction time. Relative phase variability and attentional demands were higher for the antiphase pattern than for the in-phase pattern. Moreover, the attentional demands did not covary with the increase in the antiphase pattern over the trial duration. The inphase pattern remained unaffected by resistance opposed to pronation-supination movement. The present findings and the time effect are discussed according to potential alterations localized in different sites at the cortical level.

Influence of an exhausting muscle exercise on bimanual coordination stability and attentional demands

The present study investigated the influence of a bilateral exhaustive exercise on the stability of bimanual anti-phase coordination pattern and attentional demands. Eight subjects performed the anti-phase coordination pattern in two sessions: an Exhausting Session and a Control Session. During the Exhausting Session, subjects performed the bimanual coordination after exhaustion of forearms muscles (i.e. endurance time test). For the Control Session, no endurance time test was previously designed before the performance of anti-phase coordination. Within these experimental sessions, two levels of load (loaded and unload) and two frequencies (1.75 and 2.25 Hz) were also manipulated during the bimanual task. Attentional demands associated with performing the anti-phase coordination pattern was measured via a probe reaction time task (RT). The results showed that relative phase variability was higher for the fastest frequency after the exhaustive exercise. Moreover, as a result of the previous muscle exercise, the observed phase coupling was less accurate. No significant effect was found concerning the attentional demands as assessed through RT. The present findings suggest that the muscle exhaustion affects bimanual performance at a more peripheral level.

Directional constraints during bimanual coordination: The interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic directions as revealed by head motions

The role of directional compatibility was investigated during the production of in-phase and anti-phase coordination patterns involving both arms as well as the head. Our first aim was to compare the quality of coordination between both arms when symmetrical arm posture manipulations were used to disentangle muscle homology from the mutual direction of limb motions in extrinsic space. Findings revealed that in-phase coordination, characterized by the simultaneous activation of homologous muscle groups, was resistant to posture manipulations. Conversely, during anti-phase coordination, the influence of extrinsic direction became more prevalent whereby isodirectionality in extrinsic space contributed to stabilization of anti-phase coordination patterns. The second aim was to study the effect of periodic head movements upon the assembling of a coordinative synergy among the body segments. The findings demonstrated that the in-phase patterns were hardly affected by directionality of head motion. Conversely, the anti-phase patterns were more vulnerable to the directional influence of head movements, showing less accurate and stable coordination during non-isodirectional than isodirectional head motions. These observations underscore the robust nature of coordination patterns based on muscle homology, even in the absence of symmetric arm positions. Moreover, isodirectional head movements became easily integrated with the overall coordination pattern, whereas head–limb coupling was poor when the head moved anti-directional with the limbs.

The role of directional compatibility in assembling coordination patterns involving the upper and lower limb girdles and the head

The role of directional compatibility was investigated during the production of in-phase and anti-phase coordination patterns involving the four limbs as well as the head. Our first aim was to compare the quality of interlimb coordination between concordant and discordant coordination patterns across girdles at different cycling frequencies. Concordant implied adoption of either the in-phase or anti-phase coordination mode across both girdles whereas discordant implied a combination of both modes. The second aim was to study the effect of periodic head movements upon the assembling of a coordinative synergy among the limbs. Findings revealed that concordant coordination modes were produced with higher accuracy and consistency than discordant coordination modes and this effect was more distinct at higher cycling frequencies. Inclusion of head movements was found to destabilize in-phase coordination but stabilize anti-phase coordination patterns, particularly during discordant conditions at higher cycling frequencies. This observation contrasts with previous findings in which anti-phase modes have invariably been shown to be more vulnerable to experimental perturbations than in-phase modes. The findings are discussed within the context of the coalition of egocentric and allocentric constraints during multilimb coordination and the role of direction as an organizing principle in movement control.