Abstract
Obstacle crossing during walking requires visuospatial attention to identify the obstacle, so that individuals can integrate visual and somatosensory information for raising the foot with appropriate height and timing without being tripped. However, the interaction between control of foot trajectory and orientation of visuospatial attention during obstacle crossing is complicated and remains unclear. This study probed where attention is directed when approaching and stepping over an obstacle during gait and examined how the presence of the obstacle affects the distribution of attention during walking. Eleven young healthy adults performed a visuospatial attention task while standing (Stand), crossing over an obstacle placed either before (ObsBefore) or after (ObsAfter) the visual target, or crossing without the visual target (ObsOnly). Toe-obstacle clearance was reduced for the trailing leg in the ObsAfter condition but remained the same for the ObsBefore and ObsOnly conditions. In addition, the accuracy rate of the visuospatial attention task tended to be higher at the locations closer to the obstacle. Taken together, these results demonstrate that visuospatial attention and the processes underlying obstacle crossing during locomotion interact in both a spatially and temporally dependent manner.
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Acknowledgments
This study was supported by US Department of Defense Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center under Award number W81XWH-11-1-0717.
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We, the authors of this manuscript, affirm that we have no financial affiliation or involvement with any commercial organization that has a direct financial interest in any matter included in this manuscript.
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This study was reviewed by the Institutional Review Board at University of Oregon.
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Lo, OY., van Donkelaar, P. & Chou, LS. Distracting visuospatial attention while approaching an obstacle reduces the toe-obstacle clearance. Exp Brain Res 233, 1137–1144 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-014-4189-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-014-4189-1