Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2025
Experimental Methods to Study Human Postural Control
Published on: September 11, 2019
Effects of postural-control training with different sensory reweightings in a patient with body lateropulsion: a
Junji Nakamura1,2, Takuma Nishimae1, Hidekazu Uchisawa1
1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Nishiyamato Rehabilitation Hospital, Nara, Japan.
Introduction:
Body lateropulsion (BL) is an active lateral tilt of the body during standing or walking that is thought to be affected by a lesion of the vestibulospinal tract (VST) and the subjective visual vertical (SVV) tilt. Interventions for BL have not been established.
Objective:
We examined the effects of postural-control training with different sensory reweighting on standing postural control in a patient with BL.
Methods:
The patient had BL to the left when standing or walking due to a left-side medullary and cerebellar infarct. This study was a single-subject A-B design with follow-up: Phase A was postural-control training with visual feedback; phase B provided reweighting plantar somatosensory information. Postural control, VST excitability, and SVV were measured.
Results:
At baseline and phase A, the patient could not stand with eyes-closed on a rubber mat, but became able to stand in phase B. The mediolateral center of pressure (COP) position did not change significantly, but the COP velocity decreased significantly during phase B and the follow-up on the firm surface. VST excitability was lower on the BL versus the non-BL side, and the SVV deviated to the right throughout the study.
Conclusion:
Postural-control training with reweighting somatosensory information might improve postural control in a patient with BL.
