Neuromuscular mechanisms of motor adaptation to repeated treadmill-slip perturbations during stance in healthy young adults.

Treadmill-based repeated perturbation training (PBT) induces motor adaptation in reactive balance responses, thus lowering the risk of slip-induced falls. However, little evidence exists regarding intervention-induced changes in neuromuscular control underlying motor adaptation. Examining neuromuscular changes could be an important step in identifying key elements of adaptation and evaluating treadmill training protocols for fall prevention.

Perturbation-based dual task assessment in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.

Background: Dual tasking (i.e., concurrent performance of motor and cognitive task) is significantly impaired in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (OAwMCI) compared to cognitively intact older adults (CIOA) and has been associated with increased fall risk.

Functional electrical stimulation to enhance reactive balance among people with hemiparetic stroke.

Background: Individuals with stroke demonstrate a twofold higher fall incidence compared to healthy counterparts, potentially associated with deficits in reactive balance control, which is crucial for regaining balance from unpredictable perturbations to the body. Moreover, people with higher stroke-related motor impairment exhibit greater falls and cannot recover balance during higher perturbation intensities. Thus, they might need supplemental agents for fall prevention or even to be included in a perturbation-based protocol.

Age-related differences in reactive balance control and fall-risk in people with chronic stroke.

Background: Impaired reactive responses to sudden environmental perturbations contribute to heightened fall-risk in healthy aging and neurologically impaired populations. Previous studies have demonstrated individual contributions of paretic and non-paretic sides to fall-risk in people with stroke with variable levels of motor impairment. However, the combined effect of aging and unilateral cortical lesion on reactive balance control is not clearly understood.

Effect of Aging and Cortical Stroke on Motor Adaptation to Overground Gait-Slips: Quantifying Differences in Adaptation Rate and Adaptation Plateau.

We examined the effect of aging and cortical stroke on the rate of motor adaptation (adaptation rate) and amount of performance gains (adaptation plateau) in balance skills. Fourteen older (≥60 years) and fifteen younger (<60 years) adults with chronic stroke, and thirteen healthy older adults (≥60 years) participated. Participants experienced 8 consecutive gait-slips (≤45 cm) to their non-paretic/dominant limb.

Mobile Brain Imaging to Examine Task-Related Cortical Correlates of Reactive Balance: A Systematic Review.

This systematic review examined available findings on spatial and temporal characteristics of cortical activity in response to unpredicted mechanical perturbations. Secondly, this review investigated associations between cortical activity and behavioral/biomechanical measures. Databases were searched from 1980-2021 and a total of 35 cross-sectional studies (31 EEG and 4 fNIRS) were included.

Assessing Skin Blood Flow and Interface Pressure in Patients With Spinal Cord Injury Provided an Alternating Pressure Overlay: A Cross-sectional Study.

Unlabelled: The effects of an alternating pressure (AP) overlay on the skin are not fully understood.

Purpose: This study was conducted among persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) to examine skin blood flow (SBF) and interface pressure (IP) during and after AP overlay use.

Methods: In this cross-sectional, repeated measures study, persons eligible for participation were clinic outpatients from a large metropolitan area in the midwest United States who were 18 to 65 years old with a SCI with a neurologic level of injury at T10 or above for more than 1 year and used a wheelchair for primary mobility.