Central Nervous System Control of Dynamic Stability

保持直立平衡对人类来说是一项复杂的技能，对于行走、日常生活活动以及熟练地进行娱乐和体育活动的能力来说是必不可少的。 健康的成年人保持直立平衡是如此容易和自动，潜在的控制似乎很简单。 事实上，保持直立平衡的挑战需要神经系统进行复杂的持续控制。 这项研究计划的长期目标是开发新的理解，这将有助于开发神经系统如何控制平衡的综合模型。 这项工作的重点是平衡反应时发生的一个变得不稳定。 他们是非常迅速的，这是必要的，因为延迟开始和执行将增加福尔斯和受伤的风险。 此外，尽管速度很快，但反应非常适应，以确保它们在当时的情况下有效。为了更好地揭示潜在的控制，这项工作涉及三个主要目标：1）确定哪些神经系统网络服务于这些平衡反应2）确定导致这种快速反应时间的因素，以及3）了解神经系统状态的影响和机制在不稳定时对平衡反应的影响。对于目标1，我们将使用脑成像和脑刺激技术来探索皮层对不稳定性引起的平衡反应的贡献。对于目标2，我们将探讨自主神经系统，神经系统的兴奋性和相关的反应时间之间的联系。对于目标3，我们将探讨：1）对潜在不稳定性的预期和2）周围环境的视觉表征，这是定义不稳定时反应的两个重要因素。我们将使用大脑成像、眼球追踪和运动分析来探索这些关系。总的来说，这项工作将更好地了解平衡的复杂控制，最终帮助我们了解与年龄相关的平衡控制变化（儿童和老年人），受伤后平衡的恢复以及依赖于动态稳定性控制的技能训练。

Maintaining upright balance is a complex skill for humans that is essential for walking, activities of daily life, and the ability to skillfully perform recreational and athletic activities. Healthy adults maintain upright balance so easily and automatically the underlying control appears deceptively simple. In reality, the challenge of maintaining upright balance requires sophisticated ongoing control from the nervous system. The long term objective of this program of research to develop new understanding that will help develop a comprehensive model of how the nervous system controls balance. The focus of this work is on balance reactions that occur when one becomes unstable. They are extremely rapid which is necessary because delays in onset and execution will increase the risk of falls and injury. In addition, in spite of the speed, the reactions are remarkably adaptable to ensure they are effective given the circumstances of the moment. To better reveal the underlying control this work addresses three main objectives: 1) determine what nervous system network serves these balance reactions 2) determine the factors that lead to such rapid reaction times, and 3) understand the influence and mechanisms of the state of the nervous system at the time of instability on balance reactions. For objective 1 we will use brain imaging and brain stimulation techniques to explore the cortical contributions to balance reactions caused by instability. For objective 2 we will explore the link between the autonomic nervous system, the excitability of the nervous system and associated reaction times. For objective 3 we will explore: 1) anticipation of potential instability and 2) the visual representation of the surrounding environment as two important factors that define reactions at the time of instability. We will use brain imaging, eye tracking and movement analysis to explore these relationships. Overall this work will build better understanding of the complex control of balance that will eventually help us understand age-related changes in balance control (among children and older adults), recovery of balance after injury and the training of skills that are dependent on dynamic stability control.