A new study explores how ageing affects the cortical response to a sudden loss of balance in a challenging environment. The authors used a lean-and-release paradigm on an incline surface (slope) with wireless EEG recording. The authors found that older adults show delayed and smaller N100 responses (an early cortical signal of imbalance), along with reduced theta and beta activity. Interestingly, these early neural responses were similar whether participants did corrective stepping or not, implying that the responses reflect imbalance detection rather than the corrective action itself. Network connectivity analyses paradoxically showed more globally connected brain networks, presumably suggesting compensatory recruitment or less response specificity. Overall, the findings support the idea that ageing slows cortical responses to imbalance, likely increasing the risk of falls.
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