How does movement occur in children who develop normally and in those who have cerebral palsy?
Dr Nadia Dominici’s research at the Department of Human Movement Sciences at VU Amsterdam focuses on the emergence of walking in children, and in particular on the moment when toddlers leave their parents’ arms to take their first independent steps.
"We have an ‘instinct to walk’ from the moment we are born: if about 70-80% of our weight is supported, we can instinctively ‘walk’ as our feet come into contact with a horizontal surface. This ‘stepping reflex’ is hardwired in our neural circuitry", says Nadia.
In a publication in Science in 2011, Dr Dominici reported that the coordinated muscle activation of this primitive stepping in neonates can be described by two basic activation patterns that are retained throughout development. These are later supplemented by two new patterns that manifest in toddlers. When exactly do the two new patterns emerge and how fast does the transition happen? How do patterns change in children with neuromotor disorders?
Dr Dominici’s team developed a multifaceted recording platform to simultaneously capture brain activity, muscular activity and leg movement in neonates and toddlers before and after walking independently. The aim is to characterise the interplay between muscular and brain activity during the emergence of walking in typically developing children and in children affected by cerebral palsy, and to identify the optimal rehabilitation strategy to facilitate independent, functional, safe and efficient walking in the latter.