The maintenance of body uprightness during external stimuli is controlled mainly by a sensory feedback mechanism, which involves cues from visual, vestibular and proprioceptive systems. Information from all of these systems is organized to provide appropriate motor actions via sensory integration and sensory-to-motor transformations that activate appropriate muscles to accomplish neuromuscular control, equilibrium maintenance, and appropriate motor response during specific balance-related tasks including locomotor movements such as walking. The organization of balance control as a closed-loop feedback control system stabilizing an unstable body sets constraints on the types of motion information and on the mechanisms needed to coordinate its integration across different sensory systems. A malfunction in any of these systems, or in the sensory integration process might threaten their capacity to maintain balance. While sensorimotor deficits and related falls are highly common problems encountered by individuals across the lifespan, discrepancies in sensory systems become even more apparent in older individuals and in individuals with neurological disorders resulting in increased postural imbalance and higher risk of falls or fear of falling.
The interaction of different sensory inputs contributing to posture control in young healthy subjects have already been well investigated, however, sensory integration processes in aging populations or neurological patients still need to be deeply clarified. Therefore, the goal of the present Research Topic is to collect contributions focused on postural responses to different sensory manipulations or supplementary sensory information available to the postural system in order to improve balance maintenance during standing and gait.
We welcome any types of manuscripts (original research article, brief research report, review, or mini-review, methods and protocol articles) about, but not limited to the following themes:
- motor control during standing, gait initiation and steady-state gait in aging population as well as in individuals with balance impairments.
- sensory biofeedback for training/rehabilitation of impaired balance control.
- postural responses to various sensory interventions including supplementation of different sensory information.
- novel approaches to regain postural stability during and/or after sensory manipulation in patients with neurological diseases (e.g., Parkinson's disease, stroke).
- methodological studies exploring the sensitivity of new approaches to the assessment of postural control to better differentiate normal physiological aging from pathological aging.
The maintenance of body uprightness during external stimuli is controlled mainly by a sensory feedback mechanism, which involves cues from visual, vestibular and proprioceptive systems. Information from all of these systems is organized to provide appropriate motor actions via sensory integration and sensory-to-motor transformations that activate appropriate muscles to accomplish neuromuscular control, equilibrium maintenance, and appropriate motor response during specific balance-related tasks including locomotor movements such as walking. The organization of balance control as a closed-loop feedback control system stabilizing an unstable body sets constraints on the types of motion information and on the mechanisms needed to coordinate its integration across different sensory systems. A malfunction in any of these systems, or in the sensory integration process might threaten their capacity to maintain balance. While sensorimotor deficits and related falls are highly common problems encountered by individuals across the lifespan, discrepancies in sensory systems become even more apparent in older individuals and in individuals with neurological disorders resulting in increased postural imbalance and higher risk of falls or fear of falling.
The interaction of different sensory inputs contributing to posture control in young healthy subjects have already been well investigated, however, sensory integration processes in aging populations or neurological patients still need to be deeply clarified. Therefore, the goal of the present Research Topic is to collect contributions focused on postural responses to different sensory manipulations or supplementary sensory information available to the postural system in order to improve balance maintenance during standing and gait.
We welcome any types of manuscripts (original research article, brief research report, review, or mini-review, methods and protocol articles) about, but not limited to the following themes:
- motor control during standing, gait initiation and steady-state gait in aging population as well as in individuals with balance impairments.
- sensory biofeedback for training/rehabilitation of impaired balance control.
- postural responses to various sensory interventions including supplementation of different sensory information.
- novel approaches to regain postural stability during and/or after sensory manipulation in patients with neurological diseases (e.g., Parkinson's disease, stroke).
- methodological studies exploring the sensitivity of new approaches to the assessment of postural control to better differentiate normal physiological aging from pathological aging.
