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Related Concept Videos

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways01:28

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Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the...
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Equilibrium and Balance01:15

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The inner ear assumes dual functionalities of auditory perception and equilibrium maintenance. The vestibule is the organ responsible for balance. This organ contains mechanoreceptors, specifically hair cells, endowed with stereocilia, which aid in deciphering information regarding the position and motion of our heads. Two intrinsic components, the utricle and saccule, help perceive head position, while the semicircular canals track head movement. Neurological messages initiated in the...
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The Vestibular System01:29

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The vestibular system is a set of inner ear structures that provide a sense of balance and spatial orientation. This system is comprised of structures within the labyrinth of the inner ear, including the cochlea and two otolith organs—the utricle and saccule. The labyrinth also contains three semicircular canals—superior, posterior, and horizontal—that are oriented on different planes.
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Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:24

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The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at...
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Association Areas of the Cortex01:21

Association Areas of the Cortex

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Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
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Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

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The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 30, 2025

Experimental Methods to Study Human Postural Control
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Sensory system-specific associations between brain structure and balance.

K E Hupfeld1, H R McGregor1, C J Hass1

  • 1Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.

Neurobiology of Aging
|August 28, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Aging affects brain structure, impacting balance. Thinner cortex and altered gyrification in specific brain regions correlate with reliance on visual, proprioceptive, and vestibular systems for maintaining balance in older adults.

Keywords:
AgingAxial diffusivityBalanceCortical thicknessFree-waterGray matter volumeGyrification

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Gerontology
  • Biomechanics

Background:

  • Balance problems affect nearly 75% of older US adults.
  • Aging is associated with widespread brain atrophy, but its link to balance is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between brain structure and balance control in aging.
  • To identify specific brain structural correlates of visual, proprioceptive, and vestibular contributions to balance.

Main Methods:

  • Collected T1- and diffusion-weighted MRI scans from young and older adults.
  • Measured postural sway under various sensory conditions (eyes open/closed, stable/foam surface).
  • Quantified visual, proprioceptive, and vestibular contributions to balance.

Main Results:

  • Thinner cortex in multisensory integration areas correlated with increased reliance on vision for balance.
  • Greater gyrification in sensorimotor and parietal cortices was linked to higher proprioceptive reliance.
  • Poorer vestibular function correlated with thinner vestibular cortex, altered gyrification, and reduced white matter diffusivity.

Conclusions:

  • Individual differences in brain structure are associated with distinct sensory contributions to balance in aging.
  • Findings provide insights into the neural underpinnings of age-related balance decline.
  • Results have implications for developing targeted interventions, such as brain stimulation, to enhance balance in older adults.