Locomotion and the brain Flashcards
Why do animals have a brain
produce adaptable and complex movements
Sea squirts (brain like structure) settles on rock and then digests brain structure
Developmental aspects
neuronal and physical change over time are tightly coupled and depend on the environment; people are embodied
infants and locomotion acqusition
mobile eye tracker on child see what pick up on. possibility to gain new info
Older less mobile
cognitive decline. Average median distance from home less. those with cognitive impairment / dementia even less distant
Physical embodiment
sensory stimulation and physical environment
Embodiment and cognition
depends on experience of having a body and the various sensorimotor capacitates and that these are embedded within context
4 steps to see if embodied
conduct a task analysis first person perspective
identify task relevant resources (brain, body and environment)
system capable of solving the problem at hand
test performance of system in step 3
Resources required to walk
Physically able body
functioning brain - sensory systems and locomotion control
walkable environment
What does it take to walk
-automation of locomotion so profound can walk with eyes closed and ears blocked
-central pattern generator in the spinal cord
General assumptions: pre existing representations
cognitive structure- motor programs , action plans and prior knowledge
neural structure - central pattern generators and neural programs
genetic structure- innate behaviours and modules
evolutionary maxim to minimize representation (how much need general adaptations)
learning from robotics
see how get it to walk. need 26 accentuators in legs which is very expensive.
16x energy transport cost of a person
reduce to 1 and then has same cost of person
Body declines
feel tired if break leg and then walk again after physical changes affect mental control
Gait changes with age
step and stride measures. Walk which is least costly.
walking speed changes with age
YA - 1.4m/s stride length 160cm
older- 1m/s Shorter step and stride and wider
increased stride frequency and duration
decrease in muscle power so more risk of fall
Dual task paradigm
cognitive task while walking
la or alphabet or high load task
increased cognitive load leads to increased step time and variability
decrease in step and stride regularity
in older dual task way more influential
dementia cannot do
Age associated with degradation in gait
body changes not directly linked with gait
physiological and musculoskeletal changes
altered processing of individual sensory systems
modifications in executive control, memory and attention
changes in temporal processing
Indicators for physical and mental health
dementia indicator
obesity - slower gait speed
impaired with people with depression
Locomotion goal directed
change baseline based on goals
adjustment for emotion effects
Automaticity to executive control
specific movements
goals
cognitive demands
impairments
Physical activity and cognitive ability study
cognitive testing
group 1 acute exercise
group 2 video watching
2nd cognitive testing
video watchers do less well at re-test
pre-frontal cortex function significant difference
rodents
locomotion lectures
hippocampus (memory) in rat brain new neurons
evidence of neurogenesis and dendritic branching
neurogenesis
idea that new neurons can be built
Humans and neurogenesis
short term spatial memory improvements. enlarged volume of hippocampus with greater cardiovascular conditioning
Angiogenesis new blood vessels in the brain
endothelial cells - blood vessel lining
Against neurogenesis
no evidence for it during post-mortem
but other have found it within hippocampus
Running and hippocampus plasticity
growth hormones and hippocampus volume
