Relationship between improvement in cognitive function by balance board training and postural control adaptability in the elderly

We investigated the improvement in cognitive function by balance board training in the elderly with different adaptability of postural control. Subjects were 31 healthy older adults. The adaptability to the floor oscillation (60 s×5) was evaluated by the changing degree of body sway. The subjects performed the equilibrium training with a balance board for 3 weeks. P300 was measured in an oddball paradigm by the finger flexion before and after the training. Target (15%) and non-target sound stimulation were, respectively, 2 and 1 kHz with 55 dB above hearing threshold and 1.5-s interval. The subjects were divided into two groups according to the adaptability to floor oscillation. High adaptability group (HA) included 18 subjects who had same adaptability as young adults and the other subjects were included in low adaptability group (LA). The numbers of improved and unimproved subjects in P300 latency or amplitude were 15 and 3 in HA, and 6 and 7 in LA, respectively. The ratio of subject numbers in HA was significantly larger than that in LA. These results suggest that the improvement in the cognitive function by the balance board training is closely related to the adaptability to floor oscillation.