Added cognitive load through rotary auditory stimulation can improve the quality of postural control in the elderly.
This study examined the effect of rotary auditory stimulation on postural control in the elderly. Thirty-two subjects aged over sixty were submitted to two rotary auditory stimulations, with a meaningful and a non-meaningful message, during a postural task. Although the non-meaningful task did not lead to postural control modification, the meaningful task allowed a reduction in the postural parameter values and therefore, a better stabilisation of posture. The attention, paid to the geography of the sound in understanding the story being told, forced the subject into taking into consideration the regularity and rotation of the stimulation, which meant relying on an auditory anchorage and so facilitated posture regulation.
Deviterne
Dominique
D
Balance Control and Motor Performance (Equilibration et Performance Motrice), UFR STAPS, Université Henri Poincaré-Nancy 1, 30 rue du Jardin Botanique, 54600 Villers-lès-Nancy, France.
Gauchard
Gérome C
GC
Jamet
Mallaury
M
Vançon
Guy
G
Perrin
Philippe P
PP
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D045442:Rotarod Performance Test / Q000379:methods; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis