Balance control deficits in individuals with a transtibial amputation with and without visual input

Objectives. To assess the motor control during quiet stance in patients with established ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and to evaluate the effect of visual input on the maintenance of a quiet posture.Methods. 12 male AS patients (mean age 50.1 ± 13.2 years) and 12 matched healthy subjects performed 2 sessions of 3 trials in quiet stance, with eyes open (EO) and with eyes closed (EC) on a baropodometric platform. The oscillation of the centre of feet pressure (CoP) was acquired. Indices of stability and balance control were assessed by the sway path (SP) of the CoP, the frequency bandwidth (FB1) that includes the 80% of the area under the amplitude spectrum, the mean amplitude of the peaks (MP) of the sway density curve (SDC), and the mean distance (MD) between 2 peaks of the SDC.Results. In severe AS patients, the MD between two peaks of the SDC and the SP of the center of feet pressure were significantly higher than controls during both EO and EC conditions. The MP was significantly reduced just on EC.Conclusions. Ankylosing spondylitis exerts negative effect on postural stability, not compensable by visual inputs. Our findings may be useful in the rehabilitative management of the increased risk of falling in AS.

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Age-Related Differences in Cortical and Subcortical Activities during Observation and Motor Imagery of Dynamic Postural Tasks: An fMRI Study

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2018/1598178 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

A. Mouthon ◽

J. Ruffieux ◽

M. Mouthon ◽

H.-M. Hoogewoud ◽

J.-M. Annoni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Motor Imagery ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Balance Control ◽

Dynamic Balance ◽

Action Observation ◽

Internal Representation ◽

Mental Simulation ◽

Visual Input ◽

Age Related ◽

Postural Tasks

Age-related changes in brain activation other than in the primary motor cortex are not well known with respect to dynamic balance control. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore age-related differences in the control of static and dynamic postural tasks using fMRI during mental simulation of balance tasks. For this purpose, 16 elderly (72 ± 5 years) and 16 young adults (27 ± 5 years) were asked to mentally simulate a static and a dynamic balance task by motor imagery (MI), action observation (AO), or the combination of AO and MI (AO + MI). Age-related differences were detected in the form of larger brain activations in elderly compared to young participants, especially in the challenging dynamic task when applying AO + MI. Interestingly, when MI (no visual input) was contrasted to AO (visual input), elderly participants revealed deactivation of subcortical areas. The finding that the elderly demonstrated overactivation in mostly cortical areas in challenging postural conditions with visual input (AO + MI and AO) but deactivation in subcortical areas during MI (no vision) may indicate that elderly individuals allocate more cortical resources to the internal representation of dynamic postural tasks. Furthermore, it might be assumed that they depend more strongly on visual input to activate subcortical internal representations.

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Postural Control Strategies and Balance-Related Factors in Individuals with Traumatic Transtibial Amputations

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21217284 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (21) ◽

pp. 7284

Author(s):

Barbora Kolářová ◽

Miroslav Janura ◽

Zdeněk Svoboda ◽

Petr Kolář ◽

Dagmar Tečová ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Postural Control ◽

Control Strategy ◽

Balance Control ◽

Control Strategies ◽

Weight Bearing ◽

Control Test ◽

Related Factors ◽

Transtibial Amputation ◽

Limits Of Stability ◽

Postural Control Strategy

Mechanisms behind compromised balance control in people with transtibial amputation need to be further explored, as currently little is known specifically about postural control strategies in people with traumatic transtibial amputation (tTTA). The aim of this study is to assess automatic and voluntary postural control strategies in individuals with unilateral tTTA compared to those in control subjects and to define the effect of balance-related factors on these strategies. Automatic posture reactions and volitional motion toward given direction using standardized posturographic protocols (NeuroCom) of the Motor Control Test (MCT) and Limits of Stability (LOS) were assessed in eighteen participants with tTTA and eighteen age-matched controls. Compared to the controls, the participants with tTTA bore less weight on the prosthetic leg (p < 0.001) during the MCT and had reduced inclination toward the prosthetic leg (p < 0.001) within the LOS. In the tTTA group, the weight-bearing symmetry and the inclination toward the prosthetic leg (p < 0.05) was positively correlated with prosthesis use duration (p < 0.05). The current study indicates that decreased utilization of the prosthetic leg in tTTAs represents adaptive postural control strategy, but as prosthesis use duration increased, the engagement of the prosthetic leg improved.

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Review for "The central nervous system of whip spiders (Amblypygi): large mushroom bodies receive olfactory and visual input"

10.1002/cne.25045/v1/review1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Harald Wolf

Keyword(s):

Central Nervous System ◽

Nervous System ◽

Visual Input ◽

Mushroom Bodies ◽

The Central Nervous System

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Noise-Induced Balance Loss? Rethinking Clinical Implications of Noise Exposure

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/2019_pers-sig8-2019-0006 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (6) ◽

pp. 1418-1422

Author(s):

Bre Myers ◽

J. Andrew Dundas

Keyword(s):

Vestibular System ◽

Noise Exposure ◽

Balance Control ◽

Scope Of Practice ◽

Hearing Conservation ◽

Exposed Population ◽

Auditory Systems ◽

Current Article ◽

Balance Loss ◽

Cross System

Purpose The primary aim of the current article is to provide a brief review of the literature regarding the effects of noise exposure on the vestibular and balance control systems. Although the deleterious effects of noise on the auditory system are widely known and continue to be an active area of research, much less is known regarding the effects of noise on the peripheral vestibular system. Audiologists with working knowledge of how both systems interact and overlap are better prepared to provide comprehensive care to more patients as assessment of both the auditory and vestibular systems has been in the audiologists' scope of practice since 1992. Method A narrative review summarizes salient findings from the archival literature. Results Temporary and permanent effects on vestibular system function have been documented in multiple studies. Hearing conservation, vestibular impairment, and fall risk reduction may be more intimately related than previously considered. Conclusions A full appreciation of both the vestibular and auditory systems is necessary to address the growing and aging noise-exposed population. More cross-system studies are needed to further define the complex relationship between the auditory and vestibular systems to improve comprehensive patient care.

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The Impact of Visual Feedback Type on the Mastery of Visuo-Motor Transformations

Zeitschrift für Psychologie ◽

10.1027/2151-2604/a000084 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 220 (1) ◽

pp. 3-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Sandra Sülzenbrück

Keyword(s):

Empirical Research ◽

Visual Feedback ◽

Closed Loop ◽

Motor Planning ◽

Visual Input ◽

Closed Loop Control ◽

Loop Control ◽

Feedback Type ◽

Effective Use ◽

The Impact

For the effective use of modern tools, the inherent visuo-motor transformation needs to be mastered. The successful adjustment to and learning of these transformations crucially depends on practice conditions, particularly on the type of visual feedback during practice. Here, a review about empirical research exploring the influence of continuous and terminal visual feedback during practice on the mastery of visuo-motor transformations is provided. Two studies investigating the impact of the type of visual feedback on either direction-dependent visuo-motor gains or the complex visuo-motor transformation of a virtual two-sided lever are presented in more detail. The findings of these studies indicate that the continuous availability of visual feedback supports performance when closed-loop control is possible, but impairs performance when visual input is no longer available. Different approaches to explain these performance differences due to the type of visual feedback during practice are considered. For example, these differences could reflect a process of re-optimization of motor planning in a novel environment or represent effects of the specificity of practice. Furthermore, differences in the allocation of attention during movements with terminal and continuous visual feedback could account for the observed differences.

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