Reaction time for peripheral visual field increases during stepping task in older adults.

Background And Aims: For safe locomotion, visual attention must be directed toward not only the central visual field but also the peripheral visual field. This study explored the effect of stepping task on reaction time for the central and peripheral visual fields in young and older adults.

Methods: Nine older (mean age 83.

Impaired choice stepping in response to a visual-spatial attention demanding task among older adults at high risk of falling: a pilot study.

Background And Aims: Impairment in visual-spatial attention can cause difficulties in planning and guiding movements, leading to falls in older adults .The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between visual-spatial attention during movement and the risk of falling in older adults.

Methods: Thirty-six elderly volunteers (mean age, 73.

Effect of the muscle coactivation during quiet standing on dynamic postural control in older adults.

Recently, several studies have reported that muscle coactivation during static postural control increases with aging. Although greater muscle coactivation during quiet standing enhances joint stability, it may reduce dynamic postural control. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of muscle coactivation during quiet standing on dynamic postural control.

Global brain atrophy is associated with physical performance and the risk of falls in older adults with cognitive impairment.

Aim: Falls are common in patients with cognitive disorder. The purpose of this study was to determine whether global brain atrophy is associated with cognitive function, physical performance and fall incidents in older adults with mild cognitive disorder.

Methods: A total of 31 older adults with mild cognitive disorders (mean age 78.

Reliability and validity of gait analysis by android-based smartphone.

Smartphones are very common devices in daily life that have a built-in tri-axial accelerometer. Similar to previously developed accelerometers, smartphones can be used to assess gait patterns. However, few gait analyses have been performed using smartphones, and their reliability and validity have not been evaluated yet.

Effects of balance training on muscle coactivation during postural control in older adults: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Recently, several studies have reported age-associated increases in muscle coactivation during postural control. A rigid posture induced by strong muscle coactivation reduces the degree of freedom to be organized by the postural control system. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of balance training on muscle coactivation during postural control in older adults.

Effects of dual-task switch exercise on gait and gait initiation performance in older adults: preliminary results of a randomized controlled trial.

Few studies have reported the effect of exercise intervention for improving postural control deficit in older adults at high risk of falling. We have developed a "Dual-task Switch Exercise (DSE)" program that focuses on gait initiation performance under the dual-task condition. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether gait initiation performance could be improved by a specific exercise intervention.

Complex obstacle negotiation exercise can prevent falls in community-dwelling elderly Japanese aged 75 years and older.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether a complex course obstacle negotiation exercise (CC), a 24-week exercise program, can reduce falls and fractures in older adults, as compared with a simple course obstacle negotiation exercise (SC).

Methods: This trial was carried out on older adults, aged 75 years and above in Japan. In total, 157 participants were randomized into the CC group (n = 78) and the SC group (n = 79).

Objective assessment of abnormal gait in patients with rheumatoid arthritis using a smartphone.

A disturbance in gait pattern is a serious problem in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of the present study was to examine the utility of the smartphone gait analysis application in patients with RA. The smartphone gait analysis application was used to assess 39 patients with RA (age 65.

Fear of falling is associated with prolonged anticipatory postural adjustment during gait initiation under dual-task conditions in older adults.

Little is known about dynamic balance control under dual-task conditions in older adults with fear of falling (FoF). The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of FoF on anticipatory postural adjustment (APA) during gait initiation under dual-task conditions in older adults. Fifty-seven elderly volunteers (age, 79.

Effects of a DVD-based seated dual-task stepping exercise on the fall risk factors among community-dwelling elderly adults.

Objective: The purpose of this randomized control trial study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a digital video disc (DVD)-based seated dual-task (DT) stepping exercise to improve the DT walking capability in elderly people. In the DT exercise, participants were asked to perform a verbal fluency task while stepping as quickly as possible.

Methods: Eight clusters (n=93) randomized into a DVD group (4 clusters, n=48) and a nonexercise control group (4 clusters, n=45) participated in this trial.

Faster decline of physical performance in older adults with higher levels of baseline locomotive function.

Aim: The purpose of this longitudinal study was to determine whether the rate of decline in community-dwelling older adults varies according to baseline locomotive function levels.

Methods: This longitudinal study was conducted in community-dwelling older adults in Kyoto, Japan. In addition to information about falls, physical performance was assessed using a series of tests, including 10-m walking time, timed up and go (TUG) test, functional reach, one-leg stand test, and five chair stand test.

Maladaptive turning and gaze behavior induces impaired stepping on multiple footfall targets during gait in older individuals who are at high risk of falling.

It was recently reported that the measurement of stepping accuracy while performing a new walking test, a multi-target stepping task (MTST), could contribute to identifying older individuals at high risk (HR) of falling. The present study was designed to identify factors leading HR older individuals to an impaired stepping performance in terms of frequency of maladaptive turning behavior (spin turn) and spatio-temporal patterns of fixations. Eleven HR (80.

Effects of fear of falling on muscular coactivation during walking.

Background And Aims: Increased fear of falling is associated with greater muscular coactivation during standing postural control. Excessive muscular coactivation reduces the performance of agonist muscles. Although several recent studies have observed increased muscular coactivation during walking in older adults, little is known about the relationship between fear of falling and muscular coactivation during walking.

Fallers choose an early transfer gaze strategy during obstacle avoidance in dual-task condition.

Background And Aims: The aim of the present study is to compare the gaze behavior between fallers and non-fallers during obstacle avoidance in dual-task conditions.

Methods: Nine older adults who had no experience of falling (mean age 79.9 ± 5.