Da. Winter et P. Eng, KINETICS - OUR WINDOW INTO THE GOALS AND STRATEGIES OF THE CENTRAL-NERVOUS-SYSTEM, Behavioural brain research, 67(2), 1995, pp. 111-120
The goal of this chapter is to demonstrate the role of integrated biom
echanical analyses in complex movements such as gait in alerting resea
rchers of the goals and synergies of the CNS. Because of the large num
ber of segments involved and the potential for the CNS to take advanta
ge of inter-limb coupling it is only through appropriate biomechanical
analyses that such collaboration can be identified. Examples from nor
mal, perturbed, elderly and pathological gait are presented to demonst
rate the principles of total limb and total body analysis to pinpoint
the goals of the CNS and to identify total limb or body synergies and
adaptations in the elderly and in gait pathologies. Such findings rein
force the generalizations made many years ago by Bernstein [2] when he
postulated several simplifying principles of CNS control. Also, evide
nt from these analyses are the precision and accuracy of biomechanical
variables that make these measures particularly sensitive to small ch
anges within an individual or across a population group.