Fig. 7: Inter-subject consistency of EMG modules in neonates and the other groups.

a Average inter-subject consistency measures across all possible couples of subjects in each group for basic activation patterns (left) and synergies (right) using different number of modules in infants (left panels) and adults (right panels) derived using different decomposition methods. From top to bottom: spatial decomposition, temporal decomposition and space-by-time decomposition. Shaded areas denote 95% confidence intervals across all possible couple of subjects. Dashed lines indicate the average consistency between subjects for adults using decomposition models with N = 4 modules. b Detail of the average (±95% confidence interval) inter-subject consistency measures across all possible couples of subjects for basic activation patterns (top) and synergies (bottom) using decomposition models with N = 4 modules. From left to right: spatial decomposition, temporal decomposition, and space-by-time decomposition. Note that inter-subject variability is higher (less consistent modules) in infants if compared with the same number of modules as in adults (n = 13 for neonates, n = 9 for infants g1, n = 13 for infants g2, n = 21 for infants g3, n = 49 for infants g4, n = 29 for toddlers, n = 8 for preschoolers and n = 15 for adults). Data points for all individuals are included in the histograms. Horizontal red lines denote significant differences between groups (post-hoc Tukey–Kramer multiple comparison p < 0.05, only significant differences between neonates and infants compared to adults are reported).