Vibrational Cueing and its Potential to Lessen the Detrimental Effects of Cognitive Tasks on Walking Stability
Conference Year
January 2020
Abstract
I have been analyzing data taken from a Parkinson’s Disease study which was conducted here at UVM in Dr. Ryan McGinnis’s wearable sensors lab. The study subjects underwent various simple tasks while accelerometry and gyroscope metrics were acquired using MC10 and APDM wearable sensors. For my research, I will be looking at one set of tasks in particular: four separate two-minute walking trials. The first trial involved the subjects walking normally for two minutes. In the second trial, the subjects were given a difficult cognitive task, such as a series of math problems. In the third trial, the subjects received a vibrational cue applied at their wrist. The final trial incorporated both the cognitive task and the vibrational cue simultaneously.
I hypothesize that the cognitive task exhibited in the second trial will impair the walking stability of each subject. In order to quantify walking stability, I am using an algorithm to extract a measure of bilateral gait symmetry and cadence. These metrics will allow me to formulate a simple representation of each subject's walking stability. I intend to compare the metrics obtained from the normal walking trial to the cognitive task trial. If the results show that the cognitive task impairs walking stability, I intend to look into the effects of the vibrational cue. I hypothesize that the vibrational cue will lesson the potential detrimental effects of the cognitive task on walking stability.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Dr. Ryan McGinnis
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
Program/Major
Biomedical Engineering
Primary Research Category
Engineering & Physical Sciences
Vibrational Cueing and its Potential to Lessen the Detrimental Effects of Cognitive Tasks on Walking Stability
I have been analyzing data taken from a Parkinson’s Disease study which was conducted here at UVM in Dr. Ryan McGinnis’s wearable sensors lab. The study subjects underwent various simple tasks while accelerometry and gyroscope metrics were acquired using MC10 and APDM wearable sensors. For my research, I will be looking at one set of tasks in particular: four separate two-minute walking trials. The first trial involved the subjects walking normally for two minutes. In the second trial, the subjects were given a difficult cognitive task, such as a series of math problems. In the third trial, the subjects received a vibrational cue applied at their wrist. The final trial incorporated both the cognitive task and the vibrational cue simultaneously.
I hypothesize that the cognitive task exhibited in the second trial will impair the walking stability of each subject. In order to quantify walking stability, I am using an algorithm to extract a measure of bilateral gait symmetry and cadence. These metrics will allow me to formulate a simple representation of each subject's walking stability. I intend to compare the metrics obtained from the normal walking trial to the cognitive task trial. If the results show that the cognitive task impairs walking stability, I intend to look into the effects of the vibrational cue. I hypothesize that the vibrational cue will lesson the potential detrimental effects of the cognitive task on walking stability.