A new study found that a five-week program of neurofeedback and somatosensory exercises improved balance and physical performance in older adults.
Participants who received either neurofeedback and somatosensory training or only somatosensory training showed significant improvements in balance and physical performance compared with those who didn’t undergo any intervention.
The study was published Tuesday in Scientific Reports.
Neurofeedback uses electroencephalography (EEG), enabling people to monitor and modify their brain waves in real time so they can consciously achieve a desired cognitive state.
Somatosensory training uses the brain’s capacity to “re-weight” sensory inputs to help maintain and enhance balance. It engages the sensory and motor functions of the brain, enhances the body’s ability to integrate sensory information and promotes neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to adapt). An example of a somatosensory exercise would be walking on patterned surfaces.
Scientists evaluated data on 60 men 60 to 70 years old who had balance disorders. Participants were assigned to receive either neurofeedback and somatosensory training, somatosensory training only, or no intervention. Those in either of the intervention groups attended three 60-minute sessions per week for five weeks.
Researchers analyzed participants before and after the intervention, using the Stork test (measures the movement and symmetry of the sacroiliac joint in the hips while standing on one leg with eyes open and closed), the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test (standing up, walking, turning around, walking back and sitting down) and the Continuous Scale Physical Functional Performance (CS-PFP) test (a general physical activity test).
People who received both neurofeedback and somatosensory training had a 56.35% improvement on the Stork test with their eyes open and a 65.58% improvement with their eyes closed — better than those who only received somatosensory training, and had gains of 41.69% and 38.10%, respectively.
People who got both therapies showed a 20.64% reduction in completion time on the TUG test, compared to a 9.13% reduction in those who only received somatosensory training. People did 27.41% better on the CS-PFP exam if they had both interventions, and did 18.6% better if they only had somatosensory training.
“These findings suggest that incorporating neurofeedback training into somatosensory exercises may provide additional benefits for older adults in improving balance and mobility,” the authors wrote.
