The human requires attentive effort as assessed in dual-task experiments. Consistently, an attentive task can modify the walking pattern and a attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is accompanied by gait modifications. Here we investigated the relationships between backward walking and attentive performances in ADHD children (n=13) and healthy age-, height and weight matched contr...

[Purpose] This study investigated the effects of forward and backward walking using different treadmill incline positions on lower muscle activity in children with cerebral palsy, to provide baseline data for gait training intensity. [Subjects and Methods] Nineteen subjects with cerebral palsy walked forward and backward at a self-selected pace on a treadmill with inclines of 0%, 5%, 10%, and 1...

The publisher regrets that a correction requested by the author at the proof stage was not made. On page 23, lines 5–7 of the right column should read ‘‘That is, from a backward walking figure, shape and motion processing represented a forward and backward gait, respectively’’ instead of ‘‘That is, from a backward walking figure, shape, and motion processing represented a forward and backward g...

Insects, like most animals, tend to steer away from imminent threats [1-7]. Drosophila melanogaster, for example, generally initiate an escape take-off in response to a looming visual stimulus, mimicking a potential predator [8]. The escape response to a visual threat is, however, flexible [9-12] and can alternatively consist of walking backward away from the perceived threat [11], which may be...

An already existing large volume of work on kinematics documents a reduction of step length during unusual gaits, such as backward walking. This is mainly explained in terms of modifications of some biomechanical properties. In the present study, we propose that the proprioceptive information from the knee may be involved in this change of motor strategy. Specifically, we show that a non-automa...

Conventional descriptions of interleg coupling relate to anatomical definitions such as fore- or hindlegs, right or left legs (i.e. the body is the frame of reference). This convention is obvious for forward walking, where forelegs (in anatomical terms) are also the leading legs (in terms of direction). In backward locomotion, however, the leading legs in terms of direction are the hindlegs in ...

Kinematic and motor patterns during forward and backward walking in the salamander Dicamptodon tenebrosus were compared to determine whether the differences seen in mammals also apply to a lower vertebrate with sprawling posture and to measure the flexibility of motor output by tetrapod central pattern generators. During treadmill locomotion, electromyograms (EMGs) were recorded from hindlimb m...

We walk backward on a daily basis, such as when backing away from the kitchen sink or stepping back from a curb as a swiftly moving bus passes. This task may be particularly difficult for individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) who often fall as a result of moving or being perturbed in the backward direction. The aim of this study was to assess backward walking (BW) in individuals with PD. Bo...