title: One month of contemporary dance modulates fractal posture in aging.
abstract: Understanding the human aging of postural control and how physical or motor activity improves balance and gait is challenging for both clinicians and researchers. Previous studies have evidenced that physical and sporting activity focusing on cardiovascular and strength conditioning help older adults develop their balance and gait and/or decrease their frequency of falls. Motor activity based on motor-skill learning has also been put forward as an alternative to develop balance and/or prevent falls in aging. Specifically dance has been advocated as a promising program to boost motor control. In this study, we examined the effects of contemporary dance (CD) on postural control of older adults. Upright stance posturography was performed in 38 participants aged 54-89 years before and after the intervention period, during which one half of the randomly assigned participants was trained to CD and the other half was not trained at all (no dance, ND). CD training lasted 4 weeks, 3 times a week. We performed classical statistic scores of postural signal and dynamic analyses, namely signal diffusion analysis (SDA), recurrence quantification analysis (RQA), and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). CD modulated postural control in older trainees, as revealed in the eyes closed condition by a decrease in fractal dimension and an increase in DFA alpha component in the mediolateral plane. The ND group showed an increase in length and mean velocity of postural signal, and the eyes open a decrease in RQA maximal diagonal line in the anteroposterior plane and an increase in DFA alpha component in the mediolateral plane. No change was found in SDA in either group. We suggest that such a massed practice of CD reduced the quantity of exchange between the subject and the environment by increasing their postural confidence. Since CD has low-physical but high-motor impact, we conclude that it may be recommended as a useful program to rehabilitate posture in aging.
authors.affiliation: The Neuropsychological Laboratory, CNS-Fed Paris, France.
authors.forename: Olivier A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Coubard
authors.affiliation: The Neuropsychological Laboratory, CNS-Fed Paris, France ; Groupe de Recherche Apprentissage et Contexte, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales Paris, France.
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferrufino
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Health and Welfare, Kibi International University Takahashi, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsushi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nonaka
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina Dr. Aurelio Melean, Universidad Mayor de San Simon Cochabamba, Bolivia.
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Zelada
authors.affiliation: Groupe de Recherche Apprentissage et Contexte, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales Paris, France ; Techniques et Enjeux du Corps, Université Paris Descartes Paris, France.
authors.forename: Blandine
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bril
authors.affiliation: Groupe de Recherche Apprentissage et Contexte, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales Paris, France ; Techniques et Enjeux du Corps, Université Paris Descartes Paris, France.
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dietrich
keywords: aging; contemporary dance; fractals; motor control; plasticity; posture