Authors: William R. Young, Mark A. Hollands
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049765
Abstract Summary
After experiencing falls, an 87-year-old woman shifted her gaze away from stepping targets prematurely to look at upcoming obstacles, correlating with reduced stepping accuracy. Despite unchanged physical and cognitive abilities, she showed increased fall-related anxiety and decreased confidence, suggesting psychological factors drive maladaptive gaze behaviors that may increase fall risk.
Why Brain? ðŸ§
Study reveals how fear of falling after a fall causes older adults to shift their gaze prematurely when walking, reducing stepping accuracy and increasing re-fall risk within 12 months.
License: CC BY.
The image is AI-generated for illustrative purposes only. Courtesy of Midjourney.
