KINETICS - OUR WINDOW INTO THE GOALS AND STRATEGIES OF THE CENTRAL-NERVOUS-SYSTEM

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.