The Sensorimotor Locus of Balance Control in Elderly Gait

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Ambulation Difficulty, Gait, Unsteady, Fall, Position Sense Disorders

In brief

The aging population is at an exceptionally high risk of debilitating falls, contributing significantly to reduced independence and quality of life. It remains extremely challenging to screen for falls risk, and programs designed to mitigate falls risk have only modestly influenced the sizeable portion of the aging population experiencing one or more falls annually. Balance control in standing and walking depends on integrating reliable sensory feedback and on planning and executing appropriate motor responses. Walking balance control is especially dynamic, requiring active and coordinated adjustments in posture (i.e., trunk stabilization) and foot placement from step to step. Accordingly, using a custom, immersive virtual environment, the investigators have shown that sensory (i.e., optical flow) perturbations, especially when applied during walking, elicit strong and persistent motor responses to preserve balance. Exciting pilot data suggest that these motor responses are remarkably more prevalent in old age, presumably governed by an increased reliance on vision for balance control. Additional pilot data suggest that prolonged exposure to these perturbations may effectively condition successful balance control strategies. Founded on these recent discoveries, and leveraging the increase reliance on vision for balance control in old age, the investigators stand at the forefront of a potentially transformative new approach for more effectively identifying and mitigating age-related falls risk. The investigator's overarching hypothesis is that optical flow perturbations, particularly when applied during walking, can effectively identify balance deficits due to aging and falls history and can subsequently condition the neuromechanics of successful balance control via training.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT03341728

Run by

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

People needed

14

Starts

2017-10-30

Expected to finish

2018-07-25

Last updated by the study team

2019-07-05

Who can join

Age: 65 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Be able to walk without an assistive aid (i.e., walker, cane)
• Have the full capacity to provide informed consent
• OLDER NON-FALLERS
• Age 65+ years
• No history of falls* in the prior 12 months
• OLDER ADULTS WITH A HISTORY OF FALLS
• Age 65+ years
• History of one or more falls* in the prior 12 months
• For the purposes of this study, falls counted towards the self-reported total will be defined as per the Kellogg International Work Group - a fall is "unintentionally coming to the ground or some lower level and other than as a consequence of sustaining a violent blow, loss of consciousness, sudden onset of paralysis as in stroke or an epileptic seizure"

You may not qualify if…

• Current lower extremity injury or fracture
• Taking medication that causes dizziness
• Have a leg prosthesis
• Prisoners
• Individuals clearly lacking the capacity to provide informed consent

Where it is running

• Applied Biomechanics Laboratory — Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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