Upregulating Spinal Circuits to Enhance Balance and Walking and to Increase Spinal Excitability in Older Adults

Summary

Age-related balance and walking issues increase fall risks, leading to injuries, higher healthcare costs, reduced quality of life, and increased morbidity/mortality rates. Preserving functional ability is a crucial public health priority, with the potential to reduce healthcare costs and enhance older adults' quality of life. Declines in balance and walking ability threaten independence. These declines are attributed to spinal network impairments and may be mitigated by targeted interventions aimed at addressing age-related spinal cord impairment to enhance functional outcomes. However, there is a lack of research into how the aging spinal cord affects balance/walking. In older adults, the spinal cord is less excitable, conducts signals more slowly, and is subject to neural noise. Intervening on age-related impairment of the spinal cord to improve balance/walking ability is a very promising but untapped area of research. A therapeutic approach that combines dynamic balance training with non-invasive electrical spinal stimulation may be effective in preserving functional abilities. This study tests whether electrical stimulation of the spinal lumbar regions is more beneficial than sham stimulation.

Description

Eligibility

Age range

65–95 years

Sex

All

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Interventions

• Behavioral
  Balance Training

  Complex balance task involving static and dynamic weight shifting and coordinated stepping

• Device
  Spinal Active tsDCS

  Active tsDCS over lumbar regions

• Device
  Spinal Sham tsDCS

  Sham tsDCS over lumbar regions

Location