Contributions of altered sensation and feedback responses to changes in coordination of postural control due to aging

We used multivariate kinematics and joint torque measurements during dynamic posturography to determine the relative contributions of changes in overall control gain, relative weighting of sensors, and noise-like effects on posture control in the elderly. Our results show that sway coordination and amplitude both change with age, but that changes in overall feedback gains do not explain these differences. We propose that increased sway of elderly subjects in platform sway-referenced conditions is due to sensory noise or decreased ability to detect small motions of the platform, while increased sway during visual sway-referencing is due to re-weighting of the various sensors. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.