Marla Benedek, Tiancheng Wang, Christine Muscolo, Adina Schwartz, Kobena Waters, Emily Green, Yu Lun, Mengge Shan, and Jared Lindenberg Team BALANCE Bettering Aged Living through Alternative Neural Corrective Exercises

General Overview Comparison of two types of resistance training to determine the more effective method for improving balance, especially in senior citizens.

Relevance and Justification 35-40% of community dwelling elderly adults aged 60+ fall (American Geriatric Society, et. al., 2001) It is a national agenda to reduce the rate of emergency department visits due to elderly falls (Healthy People 2020, 2009)

Relevance and Justification Numerous benefits of preventing falls Improved quality of life, especially for senior citizens Increased degree of personal freedom Reduced exposure to risk of serious, lasting injury Reduced hospitalization and rehabilitation expenses Young adults are generally used as reference subjects in aging studies (Liu & Lockhart, 2009)

Literature Review Summary Key terms Muscular Interdependency: the tendency of muscle groups in the same appendage to fire in the same direction Muscular Independence: the ability of muscle groups in the same appendage to fire in the opposite direction Motor Synergy: the degree to which muscular independence is exhibited against muscular interdependency to achieve the intended movement Center of Balance: ………..

Resistance training has been shown to reduce falls through muscle strengthening and balance improvement (Costello and Edelstein, 2008) Individual finger training reduced finger interdependency most out of three training protocols (Shim, et. al.2008): Simultaneous finger training Individual finger training Individual finger training with other fingers restrained Found that individual finger training increased ability to move one finger while minimizing other finger movement Literature Review Summary

Research Questions How do individual-joint and whole-leg training improve balance maintenance and recovery by increasing motor synergy and muscular strength ? Which training method best improves balance maintenance and recovery for senior citizens? How effective is this training method with college-age students as compared to senior citizens?

Hypotheses Resistance training will cause a greater increase in balance in the elderly than in the young Both individual-joint training and whole-leg training will increase balance through increased muscular strength Individual-joint training will increase balance more than whole-leg training through increased motor synergy ++> +  + +> + +

Subjects Qualifications Sample size ≥ 16 young (18-24), 16 elderly (65+) Presence of a sedentary lifestyle Absence of neurological disorders and medications Recruitment Matched pairing for height, weight, and sex Young subjects from University of Maryland, College Park Elderly subjects from the Greater College Park community Compensation $120 for 12 hours of involvement, paid in a tiered progression

Training Individual-Joint Training Ankle Plantarflexion Knee Extension Hip Extension 5 Min. Between Exercises Whole-Leg Training Leg Press 6 Weeks 3 Sessions per Week Resistance = 75% RM 3 Sets of 10 2 Min. Between Sets

Strength Dynamometer Stabilometry Force Plate Perturbation LEPD Force Plate SEMG Motion Analysis System Testing

Methodology Flowchart Recruitment Individual Joint Exercises Whole Leg Exercises 6-Week Training Ankle Plantarflexion Knee Extension Hip Extension Testing -Pretest and every two weeks Strength Stabilometry Perturbation 6-Week Training Leg Press Matched Data Analysis

Current Progress  Arranged Laboratory and Equipment  Identified Subject Pools  Applied for HHMI Grant  Contacted Multiple Supportive Experts  Trained in the use of the Motion Analysis System  Team Completion of IRB Training

Future Plans and Timeline

Acknowledgements Dr. Jae Kun Shim Dr. Rebecca Thomas Courtenay Barrett Dr. Alison Linberg Dr. Svetla Baykoucheva Thomas Harrod Katie Johnson Dr. James Wallace and the Gemstone Program Staff

Questions?