Identification of behavioral determinants distinguishing walking and running gait in humans

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K16515
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Sports science
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Ogawa Tetsuya 東京大学, 大学院総合文化研究科, 助教 (60586460)
• Research Collaborator: NAKAZAWA KIMITAKA 東京大学, 大学院総合文化研究科, 教授 (90360677) ; KAWASHIMA NORITAKA 国立障害者リハビリテーションセンター, 研究所 運動機能系障害研究部, 室長 (30392195) ; OBATA HIROKI 九州工業大学, 教養教育院, 准教授 (70455377)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 運動学習 / ロコモーション

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We have previously reported that human walking and running do not share the training effect acquired in each mode. The present study attempted to reveal the possible determinant that identifies each locomotion mode from the behavioral aspects to allow consideration of possible intervention to enable sharing of the training effects in the future. By focusing on locomotor adaptation on a split-belt treadmill, while left-right force adjustments in the breaking component of the ground reaction force played a significant role in the adaptation of walking, the propulsive component did not. However, an addition of force filed to pull the trunk region of the subject backward enhanced the emergence of the adaptive behavior in the propulsive component that can be observed only in running gait and not in normal walking. The addition of the force field thus enhance an acquisition of the adaptive component in walking that resemble adaptation of running.

Free Research Field

運動神経生理学