Frequency domain shows: Fall-related concerns and sensorimotor decline explain inability to adjust postural control strategy in older adults

PLoS One. 2020 Nov 20;15(11):e0242608. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242608. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Human postural control is a complex system and changes as we age. Frequency based analyses have been argued to be useful to identify altered postural control strategies in balance tasks. The aim of this study was to explore the frequency domain of the quiet stance centre of pressure of older adults with various degrees of fall-related concerns and sensorimotor functioning. We included 45 community dwelling older adults and used a force plate to register 30 seconds of quiet stance with eyes open and closed respectively. We also measured sensory and motor functions, as well as fall-related concerns and morale. We analysed the centre of pressure power spectrum density and extracted the frequency of 4 of its features for each participant. Orthogonal projection of latent structures-discriminant analysis revealed two groups for each quiet stance trial. Group 1 of each trial showed less sensory and motor decline, low/no fall-related concerns and higher frequencies. Group 2 showed more decline, higher fall-related concerns and lower frequencies. During the closed eyes trial, group 1 and group 2 shifted their features to higher frequencies, but only group 1 did so in any significant way. Higher fall-related concerns, sensory and motor decline, and explorative balancing strategies are highly correlated. The control system of individuals experiencing this seems to be highly dependent on vision. Higher fall-related concerns, and sensory and motor decline are also correlated with the inability to adjust to faster, more reactive balancing strategies, when vision is not available.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Accidental Falls*
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Aging*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Independent Living*
  • Male
  • Postural Balance*

Grants and funding

This study is part of the larger BAHRT project (Balancing human and robot) and is funded by the Swedish Research Council, project no. K2015-99X-22756-01-4. Url: https://www.vr.se/english.html Lars Nyberg was the main applicant of the grant and all authors of this study were funded by it. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.