Publications by authors named "Manuela Brito Duarte"

Background: Step initiation involves anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) that can be measured using inertial measurement units (IMUs) such as accelerometers. However, previous research has shown heterogeneity in terms of the population studied, sensors used, and methods employed. Validity against gold standard measurements was only found in some studies, and the weight of the sensors varied from 10 to 110 g.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) are a feedforward mechanism triggered in advance to a predictable perturbation, to help the individual counteract mechanical effects that the disturbance may cause. Whether or not this strategy is compromised in the elderly is not a consensus in the literature.

Methods: In this systematic review with meta-analysis, we investigated aging effects on postural control, based on anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Evidence supports the importance of efficient postural control to improve performance in sports. This involves the use of strategies such as anticipatory posture adjustments and compensatory adjustments. Technology makes analysis and assessments in sports cheaper, while being valid and reliable compared to the gold-standard assessment equipment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Postural adjustments involve displacements of the center of mass (COM), controlled by the central nervous system (CNS), to maintain equilibrium whilst standing. Postural adjustments can be anticipatory (APAs) or compensatory (CPAs), and are triggered to counteract predictable perturbations.

Research Question: Is the new smartphone application, Momentum, a valid and reliable tool for the assessment of body balance, by measuring APAs and CPAs using accelerometer readings?

Methods: 20 young adults were exposed to external predictable perturbations induced at the shoulder level, whilst standing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The evaluation of anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) requires high-cost and complex handling systems, only available at research laboratories. New alternative methods are being developed in this field, on the other hand, to solve this issue and allow applicability in clinic, sport and hospital environments. The objective of this study was to validate an app for mobile devices to measure the APAs during gait initiation by comparing the signals obtained from cell phones using the Momentum app with measurements made by a kinematic system.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) are significantly affected by age and may represent restrictions on functional independence. Previous studies in young adults have already highlighted that changing postural stability (i.e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Beyond the classical paradigm that presents the Anticipatory Postural Adjustments (APAs) as a manner to create forces that counteract disturbances arising from the moving segment during a pointing task, there is a controversial discussion about the role APAs to facilitate the movement and perform a task accurately. In addition, arm kinematics features are classically used to infer the content of motor planning for the execution and the control of arm movements. The present study aimed to disentangle the conflicting role of APAs during an arm-pointing task in which the subjects reach a central diode that suddenly turns on, while their postural stability was manipulated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF