Visually fixating or tracking another person decreases balance control in young and older females walking in a real-world scenario

Lancaster Medical School

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Visually fixating on tracking
Rights statement: This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Neuroscience Letters. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Neuroscience Letters, 677, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.04.038
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2018.04.038
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Keywords

Elderly gait, Eye movements, Postural control, Smooth pursuits, Trunk accelerations, Walking balance

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Visually fixating or tracking another person decreases balance control in young and older females walking in a real-world scenario. / Thomas, Neil M.; Donovan, Tim; Dewhurst, Susan et al.

In: Neuroscience Letters, Vol. 677, 11.06.2018, p. 78-83.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Bibtex

@article{979d55e05832485ba5a4ed1ed9aa067e,

title = "Visually fixating or tracking another person decreases balance control in young and older females walking in a real-world scenario",

abstract = "Balance control during overground walking was assessed in 10 young (23.6 ± 3.4) and 10 older (71.0 ± 5.5 years) healthy females during free gaze, and when fixating or tracking another person in an everyday use waiting room. Balance control was characterised by medial/lateral sacrum acceleration dispersion, and gaze fixations were simultaneously assessed with eye tracking equipment. The results showed decreased balance control when fixating a stationary (p = 0.003, gav = 0.19) and tracking a walking (p = 0.027, gav = 0.16) person compared to free gaze. The older adults exhibited reduced baseline stability throughout, but the decrease caused by the visual tasks was not more profound than the younger adults. The decreased balance control when fixating on or tracking the observed person was likely due to more challenging conditions for interpreting retinal flow, which facilitated less reliable estimates of self-motion through vision. The older adults either processed retinal flow during the tasks as effectively as the young adults, or they adopted a more rigid posture to facilitate visual stability, which masked any ageing effect of the visual tasks. The decrease in balance control, the first to be shown in this context, may warrant further investigation in those with ocular or vestibular dysfunction.",

keywords = "Elderly gait, Eye movements, Postural control, Smooth pursuits, Trunk accelerations, Walking balance",

author = "Thomas, {Neil M.} and Tim Donovan and Susan Dewhurst and Bampouras, {Theodoros M.}",

note = "This is the author{\textquoteright}s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Neuroscience Letters. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Neuroscience Letters, 677, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.04.038",

year = "2018",

month = jun,

day = "11",

doi = "10.1016/j.neulet.2018.04.038",

language = "English",

volume = "677",

pages = "78--83",

journal = "Neuroscience Letters",

issn = "0304-3940",

publisher = "ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Visually fixating or tracking another person decreases balance control in young and older females walking in a real-world scenario

AU - Thomas, Neil M.

AU - Donovan, Tim

AU - Dewhurst, Susan

AU - Bampouras, Theodoros M.

N1 - This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Neuroscience Letters. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Neuroscience Letters, 677, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.04.038

PY - 2018/6/11

Y1 - 2018/6/11

N2 - Balance control during overground walking was assessed in 10 young (23.6 ± 3.4) and 10 older (71.0 ± 5.5 years) healthy females during free gaze, and when fixating or tracking another person in an everyday use waiting room. Balance control was characterised by medial/lateral sacrum acceleration dispersion, and gaze fixations were simultaneously assessed with eye tracking equipment. The results showed decreased balance control when fixating a stationary (p = 0.003, gav = 0.19) and tracking a walking (p = 0.027, gav = 0.16) person compared to free gaze. The older adults exhibited reduced baseline stability throughout, but the decrease caused by the visual tasks was not more profound than the younger adults. The decreased balance control when fixating on or tracking the observed person was likely due to more challenging conditions for interpreting retinal flow, which facilitated less reliable estimates of self-motion through vision. The older adults either processed retinal flow during the tasks as effectively as the young adults, or they adopted a more rigid posture to facilitate visual stability, which masked any ageing effect of the visual tasks. The decrease in balance control, the first to be shown in this context, may warrant further investigation in those with ocular or vestibular dysfunction.

AB - Balance control during overground walking was assessed in 10 young (23.6 ± 3.4) and 10 older (71.0 ± 5.5 years) healthy females during free gaze, and when fixating or tracking another person in an everyday use waiting room. Balance control was characterised by medial/lateral sacrum acceleration dispersion, and gaze fixations were simultaneously assessed with eye tracking equipment. The results showed decreased balance control when fixating a stationary (p = 0.003, gav = 0.19) and tracking a walking (p = 0.027, gav = 0.16) person compared to free gaze. The older adults exhibited reduced baseline stability throughout, but the decrease caused by the visual tasks was not more profound than the younger adults. The decreased balance control when fixating on or tracking the observed person was likely due to more challenging conditions for interpreting retinal flow, which facilitated less reliable estimates of self-motion through vision. The older adults either processed retinal flow during the tasks as effectively as the young adults, or they adopted a more rigid posture to facilitate visual stability, which masked any ageing effect of the visual tasks. The decrease in balance control, the first to be shown in this context, may warrant further investigation in those with ocular or vestibular dysfunction.

KW - Elderly gait

KW - Eye movements

KW - Postural control

KW - Smooth pursuits

KW - Trunk accelerations

KW - Walking balance

U2 - 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.04.038

DO - 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.04.038

M3 - Journal article

VL - 677

SP - 78

EP - 83

JO - Neuroscience Letters

JF - Neuroscience Letters

SN - 0304-3940

ER -

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