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Karger Publishers, Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra, 2(6), p. 252-267, 2016

DOI: 10.1159/000447124

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Compensatory Postural Adjustments in an Oculus Virtual Reality Environment and the Risk of Falling in Alzheimer's Disease

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

<b><i>Background/Aims:</i></b> Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients have an impaired ability to quickly reweight central sensory dependence in response to unexpected body perturbations. Herein, we aim to study provoked compensatory postural adjustments (CPAs) in a conflicting sensory paradigm with unpredictable visual displacements using virtual reality goggles. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We used kinematic time-frequency analyses of two frequency bands: a low-frequency band (LB; 0.3-1.5 Hz; mechanical strategy) and a high-frequency band (HB; 1.5-3.5 Hz; cognitive strategy). We enrolled 19 healthy subjects (controls) and 21 AD patients, divided according to their previous history of falls. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The AD faller group presented higher-power LB CPAs, reflecting their worse inherent postural stability. The AD patients had a time lag in their HB CPA reaction. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The slower reaction by CPA in AD may be a reflection of different cognitive resources including body schema self-perception, visual motion, depth perception, or a different state of fear and/or anxiety.