Impact of professional dance training on characteristics of postural sway.

The stability of human upright posture determines the range and dynamics of movements performed. Consequently, the repertoire and quality of the movements performed by a dancer are mainly determined by the efficiency of postural control. This is of particular importance in professional dance training that should focus on shaping optimal movement‑posture interaction.

Metabolites of Life: Phosphate.

The process of aging and escalating the failure of all body organs has become the center of interest in contemporary science and medicine. The leading role of phosphate-calcium tandem deficiency as a pacemaker of metabolic senescence has emerged recently. Most of the phosphates in the human body are stored in the bones, which seem to play a pivotal role in all metabolic and energetic processes.

Posturographic Standards for Optimal Control of Human Standing Posture.

Static posturography is a simple non-invasive technique commonly used in contemporary labs and clinics to quantify the central nervous system adaptive mechanisms involved in the control of posture and balance. Its diagnostic value, however, is quite limited due to the lack of posturographic standards for the stable posture. To solve this problem, in this research, we aimed to establish reference values for the stable human posture using our novel parameters of static posturography including the sway anteroposterior directional index (DIAP), the mediolateral directional index (DIML), the stability vector amplitude (SVamp), and the stability vector azimuth (SVaz).

Pathogenesis of Dementia.

According to Alzheimer's Disease International, 55 million people worldwide are living with dementia. Dementia is a disorder that manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually result from the brain being damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, usually accompanied by emotional problems, difficulties with language, and decreased motivation.

The effect of body mass reduction on functional stability in young obese women.

Functional stability is necessary for everyday activities. The studies have indicated the deterioration of functional stability during standing in the obese adults. This study aimed to determine whether the 3-month weight-loss program that resulted in body mass reduction equal to or greater than 5% of the initial body mass would improve functional stability in young obese women.

New methods of posturographic data analysis may improve the diagnostic value of static posturography in multiple sclerosis.

Background: Early and accurate diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) is crucial for its effective treatment. In MS diagnostic, neuronal networks that control posture and movement are of particular importance, which performance can be assessed using static posturography. Unfortunately, most of the commercially available posturographic platforms are not equipped with the appropriate procedures.

Maturation of the postural control in adolescent girls: A 3-year follow-up study.

Background: Stable posture is a manifestation of the appropriate functioning of the neuromuscular system that is essential for proper motor development and control. Balance and stability of the erect posture are shaped during the entire childhood to culminate in its full efficiency in adolescent subjects.

Methods: In this 3-year follow-up study, the process of the postural control maturation has been assessed in a group of 18 girls at the transition period between childhood to adolescence.

Energy Metabolism Decline in the Aging Brain-Pathogenesis of Neurodegenerative Disorders.

There is a growing body of evidencethat indicates that the aging of the brain results from the decline of energy metabolism. In particular, the neuronal metabolism of glucose declines steadily, resulting in a growing deficit of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production-which, in turn, limits glucose access. This vicious circle of energy metabolism at the cellular level is evoked by a rising deficiency of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) in the mitochondrial salvage pathway and subsequent impairment of the Krebs cycle.

Step Response of Human Motor System as a Measure of Postural Stability in Children.

Postural sway is a product of the neuromuscular system that is commonly used in contemporary labs and clinics for the assessment of postural stability. In this study, we analyzed the transient responses of the neuromuscular system during the rise-on-toes (ROT) movement in eighteen 11 yrs old girls. Their center of pressure (COP) trajectories were recorded with standard force-platform during the transition from quiet stance to standing on toes.

Posturographic characteristics of the standing posture and the effects of the treatment of obesity on obese young women.

To determine the impact of body weight on quiet standing postural sway characteristics in young women, this research compared spontaneous oscillations of the center of foot pressure (COP) between 32 obese (BMI: 36.4 ± 5.2 kg/m2), and 26 normal-weight (BMI: 21.

Trunk forward flexion mobility in reference to postural sway in women after delivery: A prospective longitudinal comparison between early pregnancy and 2- and 6-month postpartum follow-ups.

Background: It has been documented that pregnancy-related increased connective tissue laxity may persist postpartum; however, it is still unclear for how long. This longitudinal study aimed to compare total trunk forward flexion mobility in women between their first trimester of pregnancy and at 2- and 6-month postpartum follow-ups. We also searched for a correlation between women's trunk flexibility and their postural stability in the sagittal plane.

The influence of adipose tissue location on postural control.

A growing body of evidence suggests, that excessive body weight is inseparably connected with postural instability. In none of previous studies, body weight distribution has been considered as a factor, which may affect results of a static posturography. The purpose of the present study is to quantify some center of foot pressure (COP) characteristics in 40 obese women with android type of obesity (waist-to-hip ratio - WHR≥0.

Nigrostriatal interaction in the aging brain: new therapeutic target for Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder of unclear etiology and pathogenesis. Research results gathered to date support the hypothesis that the motor symptoms of the disease result from the gradual loss of midbrain dopamine neurons residing in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). Recent discoveries, however, significantly expand this knowledge indicating that the primary source of the PD pathogenesis may be located both in the SNpc as well as in the GABAergic striatum.

Directional measures of postural sway as predictors of balance instability and accidental falls.

Despite the obvious advantages and popularity of static posturography, universal standards for posturographic tests have not been developed thus far. Most of the center-of-foot pressure (COP) indices are strongly dependent on an individual experimental design, and are susceptible to distortions, which makes results of their analysis incomparable. In this research, we present a novel approach to the analysis of the COP trajectory based on the directional features of postural sway.

Parkinson's Disease and Neurodegeneration: GABA-Collapse Hypothesis.

Neurodegenerative diseases constitute a heterogeneous group of age-related disorders that are characterized by a slow but irreversible deterioration of brain functions. Evidence accumulated over more than two decades has implicated calcium-related homeostatic mechanisms, giving rise to the Ca(2+) hypothesis of brain aging and, ultimately, cell death. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter within the central (CNS), peripheral and enteric nervous systems.

The use of force-plate posturography in the assessment of postural instability.

Force-plate posturography is a simple method that is commonly used in the contemporary laboratory and clinic to assess postural control. Despite the obvious advantages and popularity of the method, universal standards for posturographic tests have not been developed thus far: most postural assessments are based on the standard spatiotemporal metrics of the center-of-foot pressure (COP) recorded during quiet stance. Unfortunately, the standard COP characteristics are strongly dependent on individual experimental design and are susceptible to distortions such as the noise of signal digitalization, which often makes the results from different laboratories incomparable and unreliable.

Adaptive changes in spatiotemporal gait characteristics in women during pregnancy.

Spatiotemporal gait cycle characteristics were assessed at early (P1), and late (P2) pregnancy, as well as at 2 months (PP1) and 6 months (PP2) postpartum. A substantial decrease in walking speed was observed throughout the pregnancy, with the slowest speed (1±0.2m/s) being during the third trimester.

Static Postural Stability in Women during and after Pregnancy: A Prospective Longitudinal Study.

This longitudinal study aimed to compare static postural stability in women between early pregnancy, advanced pregnancy, and at 2 and 6 months postpartum. Forty-five pregnant women were enrolled and 31 completed the protocol. Data were collected at 7-16 and 34-39 weeks gestation, and at 6-10 and 26-30 weeks postpartum.

Assessment of postural stability in young healthy subjects based on directional features of posturographic data: vision and gender effects.

Directional characteristics of postural sway and their impact on postural stability control (PSC) still need to be clarified. To assess the directional characteristics of PSC, center-of-pressure (COP) while standing quiet was recorded and analyzed in 46 young healthy subjects. The participants completed five 60-s trials with 'eyes open' and five with 'eyes closed'.

Comparison of static postural stability in exercising and non-exercising women during the perinatal period.

Background: The purpose of the study was to determine whether women who exercised during and after pregnancy had better static postural stability compared to those who did not exercise.

Material And Methods: Posturographic tests were performed in 31 women at 34-39 weeks gestation, and again at 6-10 weeks postpartum. The center of pressure mean velocity (with directional subcomponents) and sway area were computed from 30-s quiet standing trials on a stationary force plate with eyes open or closed.

Impact of excess body weight on walking at the preferred speed.

The implications of a long-lasting mechanical load on the locomotor activity are poorly understood. The objective of the present studies was to determine an impact of excess body weight on basic spatiotemporal gait measures and to test the hypothesis that leg swing phase may account for a load-related adaptation of the stride characteristics. To this end the basic spatial and temporal stride measures were assessed in 100 obese and 36 lean women (age range between 18 and 67 years) walking with their self-selected pace on a 10-meter long and 1 meter wide instrumented pathway.

Differential startle magnitude in mice selected for high and low swim analgesia is not related to difference in nociception.

The acoustic startle response (ASR) elicited by 110 dB 10-ms pulses was studied in relation to pain sensitivity in mouse lines selectively bred for high (HA) and for low (LA) swim analgesia. The magnitudes of ASR, similarly as hot-plate latencies, differed between the lines in the rank order HA is greater than unselected controls (C) greater than LA. The animals' nociception did not change after the ASR session consisting of a sequence of 20 acoustic stimuli.

Acoustic startle and disruption of prepulse inhibition by dizocilpine in selectively bred mice.

In this study we examined the relationship between genetically produced differences in the magnitude of prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response (ASR) and stress induced swim analgesia in genetically different strains of mice. Prepulse inhibition of the ASR and its changes due to dizocilpine (MK-801) injection were studied in 180 mice. The animals used in this study were obtained from our colony of 54 generation, Swiss-Webster mice selectively bred for high and low magnitude of analgesia.

Assessment of postural control in patients with Parkinson's disease: sway ratio analysis.

Analysis of the postural stability impairments in neurodegenerative diseases is a very demanding task. Age-related declines in posturographic indices are usually superimposed on effects associated with the pathology and its treatment. We present the results of a novel postural sway ratio (SR) analysis in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and age-matched healthy subjects.