Bohlke, Kayla
(2024)
Balance and the Brain: Accelerometry Signal Features and Associations with Neuroimaging.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
One third of people aged 65 and older fall every year, accounting for the majority of injury-related hospitalizations and deaths in older adults. With age, balance becomes a less automatic process and requires more attention. As a result, performing concurrent attention tasks can interfere with a person’s balance increasing risk for falls. It is important to understand how and the extent to which cognitive tasks may affect postural control, especially in older adults who are at higher risk for falls. However, the relationship between dual-task cognition and postural control is not well established. In this dissertation, we explore this relationship from three points of view: the output, the modulator, and the foundation. The output is balance performance which was monitored and quantified using accelerometers: a widely accessible, affordable, and portable sensor that can be used in clinical and community settings. Using accelerometry signal features from postural control assessment, we examine how balance automaticity is affected after performing 1) short cognitive tasks and 2) an exercise intervention. To further probe the importance of concurrent cognitive tasks on balance performance, we shift our focus to the modulator: attention. Attention was represented by neural activity levels in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) as measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy. We examine whether PFC activity relates to postural control performance 1) during dual-task experiments and 2) due to an intervention. Lastly, we investigate the foundation of this relationship by going deeper into the brain to further elucidate the role of cortical control in balance. We evaluate the functional connectivity between cortical and subcortical brain regions that are highly involved in balance control. Associations between postural control performance and brain characteristics could lead to balance accelerometry metrics being used as biomarkers for underlying neurobiology. Advancing our knowledge of postural control will yield insight in how to improve balance assessments and interventions, ultimately leading to more effective reductions in fall risk.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
3 June 2024 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
26 July 2023 |
| Approval Date: |
3 June 2024 |
| Submission Date: |
9 June 2023 |
| Access Restriction: |
2 year -- Restrict access to University of Pittsburgh for a period of 2 years. |
| Number of Pages: |
148 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Swanson School of Engineering > Bioengineering |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
postural control, balance, accelerometry, cognition, fNIRS, older adults, falls |
| Date Deposited: |
03 Jun 2024 14:42 |
| Last Modified: |
03 Jun 2024 14:42 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/44967 |
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