University of Minnesota
This study will investigate how communication between the cerebellum and cerebral cortex contributes to balance control and adaptation in younger and older adults. The study will enroll healthy younger adults ages 21-35 years and older adults ages 65-95 years. Participants will complete a single testing session that includes clinical balance assessments, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography (EMG), and reactive balance testing using an instrumented treadmill. Cerebello-cortical connectivity will be measured before and after reactive balance testing using cerebellar brain inhibition (CBI) and the cerebellar TMS-evoked potential P80. The study will examine how these measures relate to cortical activity, balance recovery, and adaptation across repeated perturbations, and whether these relationships differ between younger and older adults.
Age-related changes in brain structure and function can contribute to declines in balance and mobility. The cerebellum may play an important role in maintaining balance and supporting motor adaptation during aging, but the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying cerebello-cortical connectivity and reactive balance control remain incompletely understood. This single-site, single-session basic experimental study will investigate cerebello-cortical connectivity and its relationship to reactive balance control in younger and older adults. The study will recruit younger adults ages 21-35 years an…
Inclusion Criteria: * Adults aged 21-35 years (younger adult group) or 65-95 years (older adult group). * Willing and able to participate in and comply with all study procedures. * Able to provide informed consent and communicate with study researchers. * English-speaking. * No major orthopedic disability. * Vision of 20/40 or better, with or without corrective lenses, by self-report. * Able to stand for 10 minutes and walk 10 meters with or without an assistive device, without assistance from another person. Exclusion Criteria: * History of seizure, epilepsy, or convulsion in the participa…
Single-pulse and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation will be delivered using a Magstim BiStim² stimulator and compatible coils to assess cerebello-cortical excitability. Dual-site TMS will be used to assess cerebellar brain inhibition, and cerebellar TMS combined with EEG will be used to assess the P80 TMS-evoked potential. Measurements will be collected before and after reactive balance testing. TMS is used as a research measurement procedure, not as a therapeutic intervention.
Participants will complete a single session of reactive balance testing on an instrumented treadmill. Support-surface translations of varying magnitude will first be delivered to determine the reactive step threshold, followed by repeated perturbations at a fixed magnitude to evaluate balance recovery and adaptation. Participants will wear an overhead safety harness, and trained research personnel will supervise all testing.
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