Emotions such as fear and anxiety have been strongly linked to balance instability, dizziness and falls. While traditionally, fear and anxiety were only considered to be the negative outcomes of a prior fall, more recent evidence suggests these factors can directly influence balance performance and future fall risk. In this online Zoom presentation, we will discuss new evidence supporting emotion-balance interactions and the implications for the assessment, prevention and treatment of balance deficits and falls.
Speaker - Dr. Mark Carpenter
Dr. Mark Carpenter is a Professor in the School of Kinesiology at The University of British Columbia (UBC). He is the Director of the Neural Control of Posture and Movement Laboratory and Co-lead of the Origins of Balance Deficits and Falls Research Cluster at UBC. His research applies novel combinations of biomechanical and neurophysiological techniques to examine the central and peripheral mechanisms that contribute to static and dynamic balance control. His research aims to understand the neuro-muscular and cognitive-emotional factors that contribute to balance deficits associated with aging, proprioceptive and vestibular loss, and Parkinson’s disease. He is best known for his unique application of real and virtual threats to investigate how fear and anxiety influence the sensor-motor control of human balance and movement.