Abstract

The aim of the exploratory study was to investigate the individual and combined effects of light finger touch, a cognitive task, and vision on postural sway in individuals with stroke. Nine older adults with stroke stood on the force platform with eyes open and eyes closed, with and without a light finger touch contact with the stationary frame, and when counting backward from a randomly chosen three-digit number or without it. The center of pressure (COP) excursion, velocity, range and sway area was calculated. Participants demonstrated significantly larger postural sway when vision was not available (p < 0.05), smaller postural sway when using a finger touch contact (p < 0.05), and increased postural sway while performing the cognitive task (p < 0.05). When finger touch and a cognitive task was performed simultaneously, body sway decreased as compared to standing and performing a cognitive task in eyes open (p < 0.05) and eyes closed conditions. Results indicate that light touch in individuals with stroke mitigates the impact of cognitive load. The findings contribute to the understanding of the role of sensory integration in balance control of individuals with neurological impairments and older adults.

摘要

这项探索性研究的目的是研究轻度手指触摸，认知任务和视觉对中风患者姿势摇摆的个体和综合影响。九名中风的老年人站立在受力平台上，睁开眼睛，闭上眼睛，手指是否轻触固定框架，是否从随机选择的三位数倒计数。计算了压力中心（COP）偏移，速度，范围和摇摆面积。参与者在没有视力时表现出明显更大的姿势摆动（p  <0.05），使用手指触摸接触时表现出较小的姿势摆动（p  <0.05），并且在执行认知任务时姿势增加（p <0.05）。当同时进行手指触摸和认知任务时，与站立和在睁眼时（p  <0.05）和闭眼情况下执行认知任务相比，身体摇摆减少。结果表明，中风患者的轻触可减轻认知负荷的影响。这些发现有助于理解感觉统合在具有神经功能障碍的个体和老年人的平衡控制中的作用。