Document Detail


The dynamics of visual reweighting in healthy and fall-prone older adults.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20501430     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Multisensory reweighting (MSR) is an adaptive process that prioritizes the visual, vestibular, and somatosensory inputs to provide the most reliable information for postural stability when environmental conditions change. This process is thought to degrade with increasing age and to be particularly deficient in fall-prone versus healthy older adults. In the present study, the authors investigate the dynamics of sensory reweighting, which is not well-understood at any age. Postural sway of young, healthy, and fall-prone older adults was measured in response to large changes in the visual motion stimulus amplitude within a trial. Absolute levels of gain, and the rate of adaptive gain change were examined when visual stimulus amplitude changed from high to low and from low to high. Compared with young adults, gains in both older adult groups were higher when the stimulus amplitude was high. Gains in the fall-prone elderly were higher than both other groups when the stimulus amplitude was low. Both older groups demonstrated slowed sensory reweighting over prolonged time periods when the stimulus amplitude was high. The combination of higher vision gains and slower down weighting in older adults suggest deficits that may contribute to postural instability.
Authors:
John J Jeka; Leslie K Allison; Tim Kiemel
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Journal of motor behavior     Volume:  42     ISSN:  1940-1027     ISO Abbreviation:  J Mot Behav     Publication Date:    2010 Jul-Aug
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-06-28     Completed Date:  2010-10-19     Revised Date:  2011-01-07    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0236512     Medline TA:  J Mot Behav     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  197-208     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Kinesiology, University of Maryland, College Park Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2611, USA. jjeka@umd.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Accidental Falls*
Adaptation, Physiological / physiology
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging / physiology
Algorithms
Computer Graphics
Female
Humans
Male
Nonlinear Dynamics
Photic Stimulation
Postural Balance / physiology*
Posture / physiology
Reflex / physiology*
Sensation / physiology*
Young Adult
Grant Support
ID/Acronym/Agency:
NS35070/NS/NINDS NIH HHS

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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