Citation

Zhang S, Xu W, Zhu Y, Tian E, Kong W. Front. Neurosci. 2020; 14: 411.

Affiliation

Key Laboratory of Neurological Disorders of Education Ministry, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Frontiers Research Foundation)

DOI

10.3389/fnins.2020.00411

PMID

32410958

PMCID

PMC7198912

Abstract

Background: This systematic review pooled all the latest data and reviewed all the relevant studies to look into the effect of multisensory integration on the balance function in the elderly. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus were searched to find eligible studies published prior to May 2019. The studies were limited to those published in Chinese and English language. The quality of the included studies was assessed against the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale or an 11-item checklist, as recommended by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Any disagreement among reviewers was resolved by comparing notes and reaching a consensus. Results: Eight hundred thirty-nine records were identified and 17 of them were included for systematic review. The result supported our assumption that multisensory integration works on balance function in the elderly. All the 17 studies were believed to be of high or moderate quality. Conclusions: The systematic review found that the impairment of multisensory integration could predispose elderly people to fall. Accurate assessment of multisensory integration can help the elderly identify the impaired balance function and minimize the risk of fall. And our results provide a new basis for further understanding of balance maintenance mechanism. Further research is warranted to explore the change in brain areas related to multisensory integration in the elderly.

Copyright © 2020 Zhang, Xu, Zhu, Tian and Kong.

Language: en

Keywords

balance; multisensory integration; neurophysiology; older adults; systematic review