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Adults Can Learn From Babies to Improve Movement

Adults Can Learn From Babies to Improve Movement

June 15, 2017

Medical Research, Press Releases

A motor mechanism that has been attributed primarily to early development in babies and toddlers can also help older adults improve movement accuracy, according to new research from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Dr. Shelly Levy-Tzedek

In an article published this week in Nature Scientific Reports, the researcher shows that an infant’s exploration-exploitation process can work in older adults, as well.

“In early development, babies seem to make random movements in all directions until they learn to purposefully reach for objects,” says Dr. Shelly Levy-Tzedek, a lecturer in the BGU Department of Physiotherapy, Leon and Matilda Recanati School for Community Health Professions.

“Their movements are variable until they find a solution for the problem at hand, like reaching for that Cheerios bit. When they find a good movement plan, they exploit it.”

In the study, the arms of older adults (ages 70+) were connected to a sensor that measures the rotation of the arm at the elbow. Participants were then asked to make rhythmic movements of the forearm in a “windshield wiper” motion, while trying to maintain certain speeds and arm amplitude, with and without visual feedback.

A younger person places her forearm on a sensor below an opaque cover to demonstrate the experiment. She uses the movements of her forearm to control a cursor displayed on a computer screen (right), trying to keep it in the target zone.

At first “their movements were too slow and too small,” says Dr. Levy-Tzedek, who is also head of BGU’s Cognition, Aging and Rehabilitation Lab and a member of the University’s ABC Robotics Initiative. “We then encouraged them to make movements that were larger and faster, and their performance on the original task improved significantly.”

The researchers hypothesized that older participants would not be able to maintain an increase in speed and amplitude of movement over time due to fatigue, but were surprised to discover that making mistakes helped improve future task performance.

They also found that once a better movement pattern was established, the variability dropped. Making exaggerated movements actually helped them fine-tune their control.

“We haven’t tested it directly in physical therapy, but perhaps getting older adults to make exaggerated movements can help fine-tune their performance on specific tasks that they find difficult to accomplish otherwise,” says Dr. Levy-Tzedek.

The study was funded by the Brandies Leir Foundation, Bronfman Foundation, Promobilia Foundation, the Israeli Science Foundation, and the Helmsley Charitable Trust.

ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY

By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.

About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.

We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.

BGU at a glance:  

20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.

 

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