The Impact of Aging on Cortical Processes Related to Sensory Organization of Postural Control

Friday, November 1, 2024

3:00 PM – 3:15 PM

Location: Station 1: ROOM: POSTERLAND / Trinity Poster / Exhibit Hall REGION: Tower Lobby Level >>>

Presenting Author(s)

Sodiq Fakorede (he/him/his)

Graduate Assistant/PhD student
University of Kansas Medical Center
Kansas, KS, United States

Non-presenting Author(s)

Kai Cheng, MS

Student
University of Kansas Medical Center
KANSAS CITY, KS, United States
LP

Lydia Pemberton

Student
Kansas University Medical Center
Shawnee, Kansas, United States
Jacob J. Sosnoff, PhD

Professor and Associate Dean for Research
University of Kansas Medical Center
Kansas City, Kansas, United States
Hannes Devos, PhD (he/him/his)

Associate Professor
University of Kansas Medical Center
Overland Park, KS, United States

Research Objectives: Postural control requires intact cortical processing of visual, somatosensory, and vestibular inputs. It is unclear how aging affects the cortical processing of these systems during challenging postural control tasks. This cross-sectional study aimed to compare cortical processing during sensory reweighting of postural control between older and younger adults.

Design: This is a cross-sectional study.

Setting: The study involved measuring cortical processing of visual, somatosensory, and vestibular inputs related to postural control. The participants completed a Virtual Reality Sensory Organization Test. Conditions 1 to 3 involved standing on a firm platform with eyes open, in darkness, and with visual conflict, respectively. Conditions 4 to 6 mirrored 1 to 3, but on an unstable platform. Electroencephalography (EEG) recorded responses to low-pitch, high-pitch, and novelty tones.

Participants: This cross-sectional study included 27 older adults (age: 72 ± 5 years; MOCA: 28.56 ± 1.03) and 16 younger adults (age: 25.31 ± 2.86 years; MOCA: 28.56 ± 0.81).

Interventions: NA

Main Outcome Measures: The EEG P3a event-related potential was used to measure cortical processing during postural control tasks. Linear mixed models were employed to analyze the group*condition effect using condition 1 as reference.

Results: Older adults showed a group*condition effect for P3a latency (F = 5.55; p < 0.0001). Older adults showed prolonged P3a latency compared to younger adults when standing on a stable platform in the dark (319.83 ± 67.49ms vs 260.19 ± 118.48ms; p = 0.0001) and on an unstable platform with eyes opened (302.93 ± 70.16ms vs 267.35 ± 125.52ms; p = 0.02).

Conclusions: Older adults exhibit prolonged P3a latency when relying predominantly on somatosensory or visual inputs to maintain balance. This inadequate cortical processing may compromise balance maintenance and increase the risk of falls.

Author(s) Disclosures: Authors have no conflict of interest.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to learn how aging impacts the risk of falls in older adults (OA), particularly through the significant role of balance impairments during dual-task (DT) scenarios.
Participants will be able to understand the methods used to study cortical processing efficiency of somatosensory and visual information in OA versus younger adults (YA), using the Sensory Organization Test (SOT) and mobile EEG caps.
Participants will be able to recognize that older adults exhibit prolonged P3 latency during cognitive testing, indicating compromised cortical processing that may increase fall risk and highlight the need for targeted rehabilitation interventions.