Abstract

Maintaining postural control efficiently is dependent upon the coordination of motor, sensory and cognitive systems, all of which are subject to decline with aging. Evidence suggests that increased cognitive load, sensory loss and cognitive impairments alone reduce postural control, but rarely are these factors considered in conjunction. We therefore investigated how younger and older adults’ postural control was impacted by increased cognitive load, simulated vision impairment, and hearing loss. Using a Nintendo Wii Balance Board, 32 younger (M = 23.03 SD = 3.53), and 27 older adults, 16 with hearing loss, (M = 77.13 SD = 7.53) and 11 without hearing loss (M = 71.27 SD = 11.30), underwent five balance conditions (i.e., eyes closed, normal and low vision single- and dual-tasks). We found that as task complexity increased (i.e., presence of a visual and/or backwards counting task), postural control decreased. Younger adults outperformed older adults on all tests of postural control, whereas minimal variations in postural performance existed between older adults with and without hearing loss. Older adults with hearing loss had greater medial-lateral sway in single-task normal and low vision conditions. Positive dual-task postural costs were evident among all three groups, but no group differences existed. Under normal and low vision conditions, older adults without hearing loss displayed positive dual-task cognitive costs, while those with hearing loss experienced no costs, suggesting differences in task prioritization. Taken together, our results illustrate that aging impacts how increased cognitive load and the presence of vision impairment challenge can affect postural control.