MOVEMENT SCIENCE, SPORT & LEISURE STUDIES DEPARTMENT
STUDENT PRESENTERS
Organized By Presentation Subject Material
OLIVIA ELIE '22
MAJOR: MOVEMENT SCIENCE
FACULTY SPONSOR: PROFESSOR BRIAN SELGRADE, MOVEMENT SCIENCE
Optical Flow Perturbation Effects on Standing Balance in People with Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is a progressive disease that affects 2.5 million people by obstructing nerve signals, causing balance deficits. In three months, 56% of people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) experienced falls. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of visual perturbations on standing balance in PwMS. We hypothesized that visual perturbations would affect standing balance in PwMS more than control participants. Secondly, we hypothesized that standing balance would respond more to anterior-posterior perturbations than medial-lateral perturbations in PwMS. Fourteen PwMS and fourteen age-matched controls stood on a force plate under four 1-minute virtual reality conditions: medial-lateral perturbations, anterior-posterior perturbations, eyes open without perturbation and eyes closed. We calculated standard deviation and range of the center of pressure (COP) and ran repeated measures ANOVA with post hoc, pairwise comparisons. Compared to the medial-lateral perturbations, anterior-posterior perturbations more greatly impacted all subjects’ medial-lateral range and standard deviation of COP to the eyes-open control trial. Our first hypothesis was not supported, since perturbations did not affect standing balance in PwMS more than the controls, possibly because the PwMS were young (age: 38.9 years) and fit (preferred walking speed: 1.29 m/s). Prior research suggests that optical flow perturbations better reveal balance deficits in PwMS during walking than during standing, which is consistent with PwMS relying on vision for balance more during walking. Our second hypothesis was supported, as medial-lateral range and standard deviation were higher during anterior-posterior perturbations. Overall, these findings have implications for clinical screening of PwMS to detect fall risk.
KAITLYN KELLY '21
MAJOR: NURSING
FACULTY SPONSOR: PROFESSOR PAUL HIGGINS, MOVEMENT SCIENCE- ATHLETIC TRAINING
The Impact of COVID-19 on Division III Collegiate Student-Athletes
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of all collegiate practices and competitions. The following study explored how this disruption in athletic activity has influenced the collegiate student-athlete’s mental health. Student athletes at a Division III university were asked to complete a survey that gathered information regarding post-cancellation physical activity level and the student-athlete’s level of anxiety and depression related symptoms. Likert scales were used to quantify the level of physical activity whilst student-athletes self-reported mental health symptoms based on hand selected questions from the Beck Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory. The results suggest that a lack of physical activity correlates with a higher reporting of depressive symptoms as compared to those who continued physical activity. There appears to be no significant correlation between a lack of physical activity and anxiety related symptoms. In conclusion, based on the surveyed population, it appears that while physical activity may help manage symptoms of depression, it may not be a factor for managing symptoms of anxiety.