Use of somatosensory information on postural control of elderly individuals

• Grant number: 09/15003-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: February 01, 2010
• End date: January 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physical Education
• Principal Investigator: Ana Maria Forti Barela
• Grantee: Ana Maria Forti Barela
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde. Universidade Cruzeiro do Sul (UNICSUL). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The goals of this research are to investigate the use of somatosensory information, with and without visual information, on the performance of the postural control system of elderly and young adult individuals during the upright quite stance; and to investigate the relationship between sensibility of passive movement of knee and ankle joints and the performance of the postural control system of these individuals. Twenty elderly and 20 young adults individuals will participate of this study and each of them will remain in the upright and quite stance on a force plate on semi-tandem position during 30 s in the following experimental conditions: no vision and no light touch, no vision and light tough, vision and no light touch, and vision and light touch. On the no vision condition, they will keep their eyes closed during all trial, and on the vision condition they will look towards a target (5 cm diameter) 1 m away at eye level. On the no touch condition, they will keep their arms hanging aside, and on the touch condition they will touch with their right index finger a touch plate positioned laterally on their hip level. The performance of the postural control system will be verified based upon the following variables: mean sway amplitude, displacement area, and median frequency of center of pressure. The relationship between the force applied on the touch plate and the variation on the center of pressure will be verified using the cross-correlation, with the coefficient of correlation and the temporal difference. The detection of the passive movement of knee and ankle joints will be evaluated through the angular displacement of these joints. Based upon these variables, comparisons between groups and among experimental conditions will be performed. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BARELA, ANA M. F.; CAPORICCI, SARAH; DE FREITAS, PAULO BARBOSA; JEKA, JOHN J.; BARELA, JOSE A.. Light touch compensates peripheral somatosensory degradation in postural control of older adults. HUMAN MOVEMENT SCIENCE, v. 60, p. 122-130, AUG 2018. (09/15003-0)

BARELA, ANA M. F.; DE FREITAS, PAULO B.; CELESTINO, MELISSA L.; CAMARGO, MARCELA R.; BARELA, JOSE A.. Ground reaction forces during level ground walking with body weight unloading. BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL THERAPY, v. 18, n. 6, p. 572-579, NOV-DEC 2014. (12/14634-9, 10/15218-3, 09/15003-0)

GAMA, GABRIELA L.; CELESTINO, MELISSA L.; BARELA, JOSE A.; BARELA, ANA M. F.. Gait initiation and partial body weight unloading for functional improvement in post-stroke individuals. GAIT & POSTURE, v. 68, p. 305-310, FEB 2019. (13/01050-1, 09/15003-0, 13/02322-5, 10/15218-3, 15/13100-9)