Postural Control Can Be Well Maintained by Healthy, Young Adults in Difficult Visual Task, Even in Sway-Referenced...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Human Movement Science
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Current cognitive models of postural control often assume limited attentional resources explain balance adjustments.
• Previous research suggests these models may be insufficient, particularly in static conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To challenge the validity of existing cognitive models of postural control.
• To investigate postural sway and eye movements during static and dynamic postural tasks combined with visual searching or free-viewing tasks.

Main Methods:

• Twelve healthy young adults participated.
• Postural sway was measured using the Multitest platform.
• Eye movements were recorded using Mobile T2.

Main Results:

• Postural sway was significantly higher only in the dynamic free-viewing condition.
• No significant difference in sway was found between static and dynamic searching conditions.
• Visual task performance was slightly better in dynamic than static conditions.

Conclusions:

• The results do not support the assumption that limited attentional resources solely explain postural control changes.
• A new cognitive model is proposed to illustrate the brain's adaptive, functional role in controlling upright stance.