HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Cited by other online articles Google Scholar Articles by Brown, L. A. Articles by Gage, W. H. Articles citing this Article PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Brown, L. A. Articles by Gage, W. H.

Is the Prioritization of Postural Control Altered in Conditions of Postural Threat in Younger and Older Adults?

^a Balance Research Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
^b Gait and Posture Laboratory, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Lesley A. Brown, Department of Kinesiology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada T1K 3M4 E-mail: l.brown{at}uleth.ca.

Background. The purpose of this study was to determine if the prioritization of postural control over secondary task performance is altered in younger and older adults under different conditions of postural threat.

Methods. Fifteen healthy older adults (mean age = 69.53 ± 5.78) and 15 younger adults (mean age = 22.00 ± 2.17) performed Brooks' Spatial Letter Task (BST) while standing in four conditions of postural threat. Galvanic skin conductance (GSC) was collected to measure changes in physiological arousal. BST task duration was used to measure changes in cognitive performance, and center of pressure (COP) area was used to determine changes in postural stability across each of the testing conditions. A prioritization index was calculated based on the relative change in BST and COP across testing conditions. This measure was used to quantify changes in the relationship between postural control and secondary task performance under conditions of postural threat.

Results. Measures of GSC increased in younger and older adults in response to conditions of increased postural threat. Prioritization index scores revealed that a greater number of older adults than younger adults prioritized postural control over secondary task performance under conditions of increased postural threat.

Conclusions. Environmental contexts that alter postural threat may lead to modifications in the prioritization between postural control and secondary task performance among older adults. This relationship may have implications for postural control under situations that do not afford deterioration in secondary task performance.

This article has been cited by other articles: (Search Google Scholar for Other Citing Articles)

				Y. Laufer, Y. Barak, and I. Chemel Age-Related Differences in the Effect of a Perceived Threat to Stability on Postural Control J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., May 1, 2006; 61(5): 500 - 504. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. A. Rapp, R. Th. Krampe, and P. B. Baltes Adaptive Task Prioritization in Aging: Selective Resource Allocation to Postural Control Is Preserved in Alzheimer Disease Am J Geriatr Psychiatry, January 1, 2006; 14(1): 52 - 61. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]