A static posturography guide to implementing time-to-boundary.

Abstract

The emergence of time-to-boundary provides an advanced representation of the spatiotemporal characteristics of postural control through the estimation of the time required for the center of pressure to reach the boundary of the base of support. Time-to-boundary has demonstrated its utility in several healthy and clinical adoptions; however, unknown inconsistencies among studies exist. Text and graphical representations understandably highlight idealistic standards, but new investigators to this measure are forced to wade through the same potential pitfalls that others have addressed, but the field has neglected to concatenate. The purpose of this communication is to share recent methodological advancements made to enhance time-to-boundary and describe the components of the time-to-boundary code that is being made publicly accessible for the first time. We anticipate future researchers who wish to apply this methodology to their data processing toolbox could utilize our script in full, with any deviations in potential future developments noted in clear fashion. Historically, researchers (including ourselves) have had to interpret text-based descriptions of the existing literature into quantitative steps in a computational mathematics script. In contrast to fixed process measures that do not require investigator input (e.g., path length), time-to-boundary poses two distinct but connected challenges to investigators. The coding process itself can be a hurdle for novices or practitioners. Second, transferring logical considerations such as robust, objective event detection routines must be defended in the review process. This comprehensive guide to time-to-boundary, as used in our applications, should enhance adoption and advance the comprehension of postural control.