Developmental normative data for the Balance Tracking System modified Clinical Test of Sensory Integration and Balance protocol.

A growing number of practitioners are implementing the Balance Tracking System (BTrackS) modified Clinical Test of Sensory Integration and Balance (mCTSIB) to evaluate the sensory sources of balance feedback used to maintain upright standing. The aim of the current study was to expand existing BTrackS mCTSIB normative databases on adults to include reference values from developmental age groups. Participants included children (age range = 5-8 years; n = 212), adolescents (age range = 9-12 years; n = 103), teenagers (age range = 13-17 years; n = 152), and young adults (age range = 18-29 years; n = 779).

Movement pattern definitions for resistance training behavior measurement in diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes can result in debilitating vascular complications, and resistance training (RT) is an effective therapy for improving cardiovascular outcomes. However, only 10-30% of adults meet the public health guidance for RT. While current RT guidelines focus on targeting major muscle groups, guidance specific to simplified movement categorization may augment understanding of RT programming and improve uptake and outcomes.

An initial set of reference values for the Balance Tracking System (BTrackS) Limits of Stability protocol.

Background: The Balance Tracking System (BTrackS) Limits of Stability (LOS) protocol is a relatively new means of evaluating unconstrained dynamic postural control ability. While the reliability of this protocol has previously been established, reference data is currently unavailable to assist in the interpretation of results.

Research Question: What are typical reference values for the BTrackS LOS protocol with respect to sex, height, and BMI?

Methods: A cross= -section of 800 healthy, young adults (aged 18-29 years; 368 men, 432 women) were administered the BTrackS LOS protocol.

Six Weeks of at Home BTrackS Target Tracking Training Induces Sustained Dynamic Balance Improvement in Healthy Young Adults.

Purpose: The Balance Tracking System's Target Tracking Training protocol requires an individual to keep an onscreen dot within a moving target circle via leaning movements that are sensed by a Balance Tracking System's balance plate. The present study sought to determine for the first time if short duration at-home training using Balance Tracking System's Target Tracking Training could improve dynamic balance.

Methods: Fifteen healthy young adults (mean age = 22.

Lower Limb Asymmetry Evaluation Using the Balance Tracking System (BTrackS) Single Leg Stance Protocol.

Single Leg Stance (SLS) balance testing is a common means of determining lower limb asymmetries in motor behavior. The Balance Tracking System (BTrackS) Balance Plate is a low-cost, portable force plate for objectively obtaining balance measurements. The present study provides the first known balance results for the BTrackS SLS protocol.

Test-Retest Reliability of the Balance Tracking System Modified Clinical Test of Sensory Integration and Balance Protocol Across Multiple Time Durations.

Background: Postural control is critical for body sway control and is subserved by three sources of sensory feedback (ie, vision, proprioception and vestibulation). A method for determining the relative contribution of each sensory feedback source to postural control is the modified clinical test of sensory integration and balance for the balance tracking system (BTrackS). However, this method has not yet been evaluated for test-retest reliability.

Postural Control, Dual Task Performance and Executive Function Following an Ultramarathon.

As research into the postural and cognitive effects of ultramarathon running is sparse and still needed, we investigated the effect of ultramarathon running on runners' postural control, dual task postural control and a measure of executive function-the flanker test, expecting fatigue-related deterioration on each measure. We used a pre- and post-test research design with 14 runners who completed (a) postural assessment with eyes open and closed, on a flat surface and on foam during (b) a two-choice reaction time dual task postural assessment, and (c) an executive function modified flanker task. With regard to postural stability, we observed, after running, increased anterior-posterior (AP) path length and AP root mean square (RMS) and reductions in both mediolateral (ML) RMS and ML median frequency.

Exploring the Unmet Need for Technology to Promote Motor Ability in Children Younger Than 5 Years of Age: A Systematic Review.

Objective: To (1) identify types of technology that promote motor ability in children younger than 5 years of age, (2) report on the type of support these devices provide, and (3) evaluate their potential for use in the community (outside of the laboratory or clinic).

Data Sources: A literature search of PubMed was conducted in February 2019 using specific terms, including child, rehabilitation, movement, and instrumentation.

Study Selection: The search yielded 451 peer-reviewed articles, which were screened by multiple reviewers.

Temporal more than spatial regulation of sway is important for posture in response to an ultra-compliant surface.

Background And Aim: Many people use balance training as a rehabilitation or habilitation modality. Although the time course of changes to temporal and spatial aspects of postural sway over the initial weeks of such training is as yet unclear. Particularly, we sought to explore the effects of training on sway during a dynamic task of stance on an ultra-compliant surface.

Infant sitting postural control appears robust across changes in surface context.

Aim Of The Study: Independent sitting requires the control of the involved body segments over the base of support using information obtained from the three sensory systems (visual, vestibular, and somatosensory). The contribution of somatosensory information in infant sitting has not been explored. To address this gap, we altered the context of the sitting support surface and examined the infants' immediate postural responses.

Development of Attention to Faces during the First 3 Years: Influences of Stimulus Type.

The development of attention toward faces was explored during the first 3 years of life in 54 children aged between 3 and 36 months. In contrast to previous research, attention to faces was assessed using both static images and a dynamic video sequence in the same participants. Separate analyses at each age and exploratory longitudinal analyses indicate a preference for faces during the first year, followed by a decline during the second year.

Ready, Set, Go! Low Anticipatory Response during a Dyadic Task in Infants at High Familial Risk for Autism.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate a host of motor impairments that may share a common developmental basis with ASD core symptoms. School-age children with ASD exhibit particular difficulty with hand-eye coordination and appear to be less sensitive to visual feedback during motor learning. Sensorimotor deficits are observable as early as 6 months of age in children who later develop ASD; yet the interplay of early motor, visual and social skill development in ASD is not well understood.

Effects of plyometrics performed during warm-up on 20 and 40 m sprint performance.

Background: Postactivation potentiation in the form of a plyometric during warm-ups have been shown to improve performance in some speed/power events. This study aimed to determine if a plyometric during warm up can increase sprint performance in a 20 and 40 m sprint.

Methods: In this study we measured sprint times of 10 male track and field athletes over distances of 20 and 40 m after warm-ups with and without a plyometric exercise.

Coordination dynamics of (a)symmetrically loaded gait.

Asymmetries in the resonant frequency of limbs/effectors lead to changes in coordination dynamics, including deviations in relative phase at ϕ = 0 or π rad and reduced stability. These effects have been successfully modeled by the extended Haken-Kelso-Bunz (HKB) coupled oscillator model (Kelso et al. in Attention and performance XIII.

Children's looking preference for biological motion may be related to an affinity for mathematical chaos.

Recognition of biological motion is pervasive in early child development. Further, viewing the movement behavior of others is a primary component of a child's acquisition of complex, robust movement repertoires, through imitation and real-time coordinated action. We theorize that inherent to biological movements are particular qualities of mathematical chaos and complexity.

Gaze and posture coordinate differently with the complexity of visual stimulus motion.

In this study, we explored whether gaze and posture would exhibit coordination with the motion of a presented visual stimulus, specifically with regard to the complexity of the motion structure. Fourteen healthy adults viewed a set of four visual stimulus motion conditions, in both self-selected and semi-tandem stance, during which the stimulus moved horizontally across a screen, with position updated to follow a sine, chaos, surrogate, or random noise trajectory. Posture was measured using a standard force platform in self-selected and semi-tandem stance conditions while gaze was recorded using image-based eye-tracking equipment.

Walking at the preferred stride frequency maximizes local dynamic stability of knee motion.

Healthy humans display a preference for walking at a stride frequency dependent on the inertial properties of their legs. Walking at preferred stride frequency (PSF) is predicted to maximize local dynamic stability, whereby sensitivity to intrinsic perturbations arising from natural variability inherent in biological motion is minimized. Previous studies testing this prediction have employed different variability measures, but none have directly quantified local dynamic stability by computing maximum finite-time Lyapunov exponent (λ(Max)), which quantifies the rate of divergence of nearby trajectories in state space.

Center of pressure and the projection of the time-course of sitting skill acquisition.

A normal time-course for the acquisition of sitting is essential. A delay in sitting may affect other developmental milestones, resulting in deficiencies in overall skill. Therefore, our aim was to identify variables whose measures at the very beginning of sitting would allow for the projection of the evolution of the sitting skill.