The Relationship Between the Balance and the Cognition in Community-dwelling Elderly Individuals

Objective: The debate about whether the balance performance is associated with cognition in older people has recently re-emerged. The aim of the study is to analyze the relationship between the balance and the cognition in community-dwelling elderly individuals. Methods: Thirty-seven participants were healthy volunteers aged 50-70 years old, from a community-based sample. Subjects completed a static balance test (eyes open/close, stance with single-leg/double-leg) using an evaluation system. Cognitive parameters included simple reaction time and spatial positional memory span. The collected data were analyzed by correlation analysis using the SPSS program (ver. 20). Results: The spatial positional memory span was strongly correlated with length of SKG (r=-0.43, p=0.01) in double-leg standing with eyes open condition. The simple reaction time was strongly correlated with the LFS(r=0.44, p=0.01) in single-leg standing with eyes open condition. The spatial positional memory span was strongly correlated with length of SKG (r=-0.42, p=0.01) in double-leg standing with eyes close condition. The simple reaction time was correlated with the Y axis value in center of pressure (r=-0.34, p<0.05) in single-leg standing with eyes open condition. Conclusions: These results suggest that the balance performance is associated with cognition in older individuals.