LOCOMOTION AND POSTURE IN OLDER ADULTS. THE ROLE OF AGING AND MOVEMENT DISORDERS

1. Complex Systems Approach to the Study of Posture and Locomotion in Older People
2. Clinical Aspects of Movement Disorders: Effects on Walking and Posture
3. Neuropsychological Aspects of Gait Disorders
4. Gait Stability and Aging
5. Visual Control of Adaptive Locomotion and Changes Due to Natural Ageing
6. The Walking Ability in Healthy Older Adults: The Role of Aging and Physical Activity and Its Interface with Agility, Balance, Cognition, and Risk of Falls
7. Cognition, Gait Disorders, and Fall Risk in Healthy Neurological Older Individuals
8. Visual Control of Locomotion in People with Parkinson’s Disease
9. Gait Disturbances in Movement Disorders: A Motor-Cognitive Problem
10. The Influence of Muscle Fatigue on Walking: The Role of Aging and Parkinson’s Disease
11. Parkinson’s Disease and Gait Asymmetry
12. Effects of Physical Activity on Walking in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease
13. Older Adults Are Incapable of Changing Sensory-Motor Coupling During Upright Stance with Visual Manipulation and Different Attentional Demands
14. Contribution of Fingertip Light Touch on Postural Stabilization of Older Adults
15. Effects of Vision on Postural Control in Neurologically Healthy Individuals
16. Balance Control in Older Adults
17. Falls and Postural Stability in Older Individuals: Implications for Activities of Daily Living
18. Exercise to Maximise Postural Control and Reduce the Risk of Falls in Older Age
19. Interlateral Asymmetries of Body Balance Control Resulting from Cerebral Stroke
20. Postural Control and Somatosensory Information: Effects of Aging and Parkinson’s Disease
21. Exercise and Balance in Older Adults with Movement Disorders
22. Gait Initiation in Older People: Concepts, Clinical Implications and Methodology
23. Contribution of Virtual Reality (Nintendo Wii) for Exercise Training and Rehabilitation
24. Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson’s Disease: Effects on Gait and Postural Control
25. Using Virtual Reality to Advance the Understanding and Rehabilitation of Gait Impairments in Parkinson’s Disease
26. The Applicability of Inertial Motion Sensors for Locomotion and Posture
27. Age-Related Changes in the Neural Control of Standing Balance

This book is an attempt to advance the discussion and improve our understanding about the effects of aging and movement disorders on motor control during walking and postural tasks. Despite these activities are performed daily, there is a high requirement of motor and neural systems in order to perform both tasks efficiently. Both walking and posture require a complex interaction of musculoskeletal and neural systems. However, the mechanisms used to control these tasks, as well as how they are planned and coordinated, are still a question of discussion among health professionals and researchers. In addition, this discussion is more interesting when the effects of aging are included in the context of locomotion and the postural control. The number of older individuals is 841 million in 2015, which is four times higher than the 202 million that lived in 1950. Aging causes many motor, sensorial and neural deficits, which impair locomotion and postural control in the elderly. The severity of this framework is worsened when the aging goes along with a movement disorder, such as Parkinson disease, Chorea, Dystonia, Huntington disease, etc.
Therefore, the aim of this book is to highlight the influence of different aspects on planning, controlling and performing locomotion and posture tasks. In attempting to improve current knowledge in this field, invited authors present and discuss how environmental, sensorial, motor, cognitive and individual aspects influence the planning and performance of locomotor and postural activities. The major thrust of the book is to address the mechanisms involved in controlling and planning motor action in neurological healthy individuals, as well as in those who suffer from movement disorders or face the effects of aging, indicating the aspects that impair locomotion and postural control. In addition, new technologies, tools and interventions designed to manage the effects of aging and movement disorders are presented in the book.

Features
• The first book to address the role of aging and movement disorders on motor control, especially on walking and posture
• Multidisciplinary approach about the effects of aging and movement disorders on locomotion and posture
• Knowledge applicable in everyday life of elderly with and without movement disorders, helping in rehabilitation and physical intervention with this population
• The book discusses the mechanisms for control, planning and motor action that impair the walking and postural control related to aging and movement disorders

Authors
• Fabio Augusto Barbieri: Assistant professor at the Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) - Faculty of Sciences - Department of Physical Education (Bauru, Brazil) and professor of the graduate program in Human Motor Sciences at the UNESP. Physical Education degree (2004) and master degree in Human Motor Sciences (2007) by the UNESP. PhD in Human Motor Sciences by the UNESP (2012) and PhD in Human Movement Science by the Vrije University (Amsterdam, the Netherlands – 2013). Postdoctoral fellowship in Physical Education at the UNESP (2015). Main research interests are aimed at understanding the biomechanics and motor control of human movement, mainly walking and posture, in healthy individuals and people with neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson disease.
• Rodrigo Vitório: Postdoctoral Fellow and professor of the graduate program in Human Movement Science at Universidade Estadual Paulista – UNESP (Rio Claro, Brazil). Bachelor in Physical Education (2006), Master of Science (2009) and Ph.D. (2015) in Human Movement Science. Has worked as Research Assistant at the Movement Disorders Research and Rehabilitation Centre at Wilfrid Laurier University (Waterloo, Canada – 2013). Main research interests are focused on (i) how visual information is used for the control of locomotion in patients with Parkinson’s disease; (ii) how Parkinson’s disease and its progression affect the ability to avoid obstacles while walking; (iii) the prediction of falls in patients with Parkinson’s disease and older adults.