Postural instability and falls are major and devastating features of ageing and Parkinson's disease (PD). The balance problems and increased incidence of falls have been associated with decreased functional ability to adapt to altered sensory conditions. The aim was to clarify different effects of age and Parkinson's disease on dynamic postural responses to lower leg muscle vibration immediately after the stimulation offset. Sudden change of active sensory input represents a transient period in balance control. Understanding how early stages PD patients differ from neurologically intact peers is crucial for the appropriate medication and therapy before the PD full stage development, and thus contributes to improving the quality of life.Thirteen healthy young (mean age 25.0 ± 2.3), 13 healthy elderly (mean age 70.1 ± 4.5) and 13 PD patients (mean age 63.7 ± 5.7; mean duration of disease 1.9 ± 2.4 years) participated in the study. Dynamic postural responses to bilateral vibration of soleus muscles during quiet stance were assessed by a force platform and two accelerometers attached on the upper and the lower trunk.While differences between young and elderly were seen during and after the vibration, PD patients were more influenced by the vibration offset. PD showed more unstable postural responses to selective sensory stimulation switch off, which may reflect impairment of sensory reweighting in balance control. Analysis of responses during the dynamic transient period immediately after stimulation offset can help to distinguish between age-related physiological changes and actual pathological changes in PD patients. Sudden changes of sensory inputs can challenge the postural stability of PD patients even in early stages with potential fall risk. This work was supported by the grants VEGA 2/00080/22 and APVV-20-0420.
Experimental researcher in the Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Center of Experimental Medicine of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic. Her work is focused on standing balance analysis, especially for sensory stimulation during standing, postural leg muscle vibration and age-related changes in posture. She is the first author of several publications in international journals, co-investigator of international project EU FP6, principal investigator and co-investigator of national APVV and VEGA projects, a member of the organization committee of the International Posture Symposium focused on posture, gait and human balance. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9142-2924
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