Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin found that our brains are thinking one step ahead as we walk. The study — which tested the ability of 44 participants to hit intermittently illuminated targets along a path — concluded they most accurately hit targets when they saw them 1 to 1.5 steps ahead of where they were.
"You're making a plan, and at the same time you're making that plan, you're making a movement based on the stuff that you saw a second and half in the past," Jonathan Samir Matthis, a researcher, told New Scientist.
Why it matters:
Matthis said a better understanding of how the brain communicates with the body while we walk could inform treatments for Parkinson's Disease or other conditions that affect motor abilities.