Overview
- Peer-reviewed findings in eNeuro report that older adults and people with Parkinson’s show larger brain-driven responses and stronger muscle activity even during small balance slips.
- Balance recovery unfolds in two waves, with a fast brainstem reflex followed by a slower cortical response, and the study finds the later cortical wave grows sooner in older and Parkinson’s groups.
- When one muscle activates to steady the body, the opposing muscle often tightens at the same time, and this stiffening is linked to poorer scores on clinical balance tests.
- A neuromechanical model that reads signals from the shin and calf muscles breaks the response into timed parts tied to brain pathways and mirrors real-world balance ability without direct brain scans.
- The team outlines a non-invasive “rug-pull” screen that could spot people who rely on high brain effort to stay upright, though it still needs optimization, larger samples, and clinical trials before use.