Abstract des Autors

Training of balance and posture is important for many activities in everyday life and prevention of falls, and also for orientation in space. Adult mammalian nervous system, including that of humans, has a remarkable capacity for morphological and functional alterations in response to learning and experience. One way to induce these plastic changes in the adult human nervous system is by training, either mental or physical. Plasticity of balance centers has been investigated in both health and disease; previous studies have reported significant changes in grey matter volumes in the brains and corresponding functional improvements in both healthy and subjects with Parkinson's disease in response to balance training. These studies have, however, used the training method which consisted of only one training per week and the training task that is not very demanding for the vestibular system, due to absence of turning activities. The aim of this study is to determine if more intensive and comprehensive balance training can improve vestibular system function and general ability to maintain balance. (geändert)