Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The effect of aging on anticipatory postural control

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Experimental Brain Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the differences in anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) between young and older adults and its effect on subsequent control of posture. Ten healthy older adults and thirteen healthy young adults were exposed to predictable external perturbations using the pendulum impact paradigm. Electromyographic activity of the trunk and leg muscles, the center of pressure (COP), and center of mass (COM) displacements in the anterior–posterior direction were recorded and analyzed during the anticipatory and compensatory postural adjustments (CPAs) phases of postural control. The effect of aging was seen as delayed anticipatory muscle activity and larger compensatory muscle responses in older adults as compared to young adults. Moreover, in spite of such larger reactive responses, older adults were still more unstable, exhibiting larger COP and COM peak displacements after the perturbation than young adults when exposed to similar postural disturbances. Nonetheless, while APAs are impaired in older adults, the ability to recruit muscles anticipatorily is largely preserved; however, due to their smaller magnitudes and delayed onsets, it is likely that their effectiveness in reducing the magnitude of CPAs is smaller. The outcome of the study lends support toward investigating the ways of improving anticipatory postural control in people with balance impairments due to aging or neurological disorders.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alexandrov AV, Frolov AA, Horak FB, Carlson-Kuhta P, Park S (2005) Feedback equilibrium control during human standing. Biol Cybern 93:309–322

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Aruin AS, Latash ML (1995) The role of motor action in anticipatory postural adjustments studied with self-induced and externally triggered perturbations. Exp Brain Res 106:291–300

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Aruin AS, Shiratori T, Latash ML (2001) The role of action in postural preparation for loading and unloading in standing subjects. Exp Brain Res 138:458–466

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Basmajian JV, Blumenstein R (1980) Electrode placement in EMG biofeedback. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore

    Google Scholar 

  • Bazalgette D, Zattara M, Bathien N, Bouisset S, Rondot P (1987) Postural adjustments associated with rapid voluntary arm movements in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Adv Neurol 45:371–374

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Belen’kii VE, Gurfinkel VS, Pal’tsev EI (1967) Control elements of voluntary movements. Biofizika 12:135–141

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bleuse S, Cassim F, Blatt JL, Labyt E, Derambure P, Guieu JD, Defebvre L (2006) Effect of age on anticipatory postural adjustments in unilateral arm movement. Gait Posture 24:203–210

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bouisset S, Zattara M (1987) Biomechanical study of the programming of anticipatory postural adjustments associated with voluntary movement. J Biomech 20:735–742

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dimitrova D, Horak FB, Nutt JG (2004) Postural muscle responses to multidirectional translations in patients with Parkinson’s disease. J Neurophysiol 91:489–501

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frank JS, Patla AE (2003) Balance and mobility challenges in older adults: implications for preserving community mobility. Am J Prev Med 25:157–163

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garland SJ, Stevenson TJ, Ivanova T (1997) Postural responses to unilateral arm perturbation in young, elderly, and hemiplegic subjects. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 78:1072–1077

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Henry SM, Fung J, Horak FB (1998) EMG responses to maintain stance during multidirectional surface translations. J Neurophysiol 80:1939–1950

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hess JA, Woollacott MH, Shivitz N (2005) Ankle force and rate of force production increase following high intensity strength training in frail older adults. Aging Clin Exp Res 18:107–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horak FB, Nashner LM (1986) Central programming of postural movements: adaptation to altered support-surface configurations. J Neurophysiol 55:1369–1381

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Inglin B, Woollacott M (1988) Age-related changes in anticipatory postural adjustments associated with arm movements. J Gerontol 43:M105–M113

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Laessoe U, Voigt M (2008) Anticipatory postural control strategies related to predictive perturbations. Gait Posture 28:62–68

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Li X, Aruin AS (2008) Anticipatory postural adjustments in conditions of simulated reduced gravity. Gait Posture 28:538–544

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Man’kovskii NB, Mints A, Lysenyuk VP (1980) Regulation of the preparatory period for complex voluntary movement in old and extreme old age. Hum Physiol 6:46–50

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Massion J (1992) Movement, posture and equilibrium: interaction and coordination. Prog Neurobiol 38:35–56

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mohapatra S, Aruin AS (2013) Static and dynamic visual cues in feed-forward postural control. Exp Brain Res 224:25–34

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mohapatra S, Krishnan V, Aruin AS (2012) The effect of decreased visual acuity on control of posture. Clin Neurophysiol 123:173–182

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nashner LM, Cordo PJ (1981) Relation of automatic postural responses and reaction-time voluntary movements of human leg muscles. Exp Brain Res 43:395–405

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Park S, Horak FB, Kuo AD (2004) Postural feedback responses scale with biomechanical constraints in human standing. Exp Brain Res 154:417–427

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers MW, Kukulka CG, Soderberg GL (1992) Age-related changes in postural responses preceding rapid self-paced and reaction time arm movements. J Gerontol 47:M159–M165

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Santos MJ, Aruin AS (2008) Role of lateral muscles and body orientation in feedforward postural control. Exp Brain Res 184:547–559

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Santos MJ, Kanekar N, Aruin AS (2010a) The role of anticipatory postural adjustments in compensatory control of posture: 1. Electromyographic analysis. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 20:388–397

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Santos MJ, Kanekar N, Aruin AS (2010b) The role of anticipatory postural adjustments in compensatory control of posture: 2. Biomechanical analysis. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 20:398–405

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shiratori T, Latash ML (2001) Anticipatory postural adjustments during load catching by standing subjects. Clin Neurophysiol 112:1250–1265

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Skelton DA, Beyer N (2003) Exercise and injury prevention in older people. Scand J Med Sci Sports 13:77–85

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Slobounov S, Hallett M, Stanhope S, Shibasaki H (2005) Role of cerebral cortex in human postural control: an EEG study. Clin Neurophysiol 116:315–323

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Winter DA, Prince F, Frank JS, Powell C, Zabjek KF (1996) Unified theory regarding A/P and M/L balance in quiet stance. J Neurophysiol 75:2334–2343

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Woollacott MH, Manchester DL (1993) Anticipatory postural adjustments in older adults: are changes in response characteristics due to changes in strategy? J Gerontol 48:M64–M70

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the NIH grant # HD064838. We also thank Vennila Krishnan for help in data collection and Xiaoyan Li for assistance in data processing.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Therapy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1919 W. Taylor St., Chicago, IL, 60612, USA

    Neeta Kanekar & Alexander S. Aruin

Authors
  1. Neeta Kanekar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alexander S. Aruin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alexander S. Aruin.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kanekar, N., Aruin, A.S. The effect of aging on anticipatory postural control. Exp Brain Res 232, 1127–1136 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-014-3822-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-014-3822-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation