MRI Study of Self-Perception of Postural Stability

A number of studies have explored the role of visual, vestibular and somatosensory systems in the control of upright posture. However, the cortical control of postural stability, in general, and the role of higher cognitive function in assessment of postural stability, in specific, has not been studied extensively. It is well established that certain features of postural control change during the advancing years of life so that the stability of posture can be a problem in the elderly. However, neural mechanisms of postural stability that decline with age and make older adults more prone to falling have not been identified specifically. To characterize specific causes of falling in the elderly is problematic, because human posture is a product of an extremely complex dynamical system and like any other physical activity undergoes dramatic changes in organization throughout the life-span. In our previous research we showed the neural activation patterns embodied in the electroencephalogram (EEG) were associated with recognition of unstable postures in young healthy subjects. In another protocol, we propose that these patterns will systematically change with aging, and will result in difficulty to discriminate relevant from irrelevant information in the control of upright posture. The present study focuses on the evaluation of neural activation patterns underlying recognition of unstable postures in 15 young controls and 15 elderly subjects using both the block and event-related functional MRI (fMRI) designs. We will first analyze how the frontal-parieto-occipital circuits play a role in perception of postural stability in young subjects and then perform similar studies using elderly subjects. After the fMRI measurements a detailed evaluation of the haemodynamic response (BOLD) signals will be performed. Further analysis will look at the functional connectivity between the motion-selective cortical area (V5), the posterior parietal cortex (PP) and the frontal cortex (FC), using correlation methods. It is expected that from the study will uncover important insights in neural mechanisms as it relates to the self-perception of postural stability and its deterioration as a result of aging.