Aged Care Insite Issue 95 | June-July 2016 | Page 40

technology Researchers are studying how connections between different parts of the brain help keep us on our feet. Ann-Maree Vallence interviewed by Dallas Bastian A ustralian researchers are exploring whether stimulating connections in the brain will help prevent older people from falling over. National Health and Medical Research Council early-career research fellow Dr Ann-Maree Vallence, with funding from the NHMRC, the WA Department of Health and the Rebecca Cooper Medical Research Foundation, will use magnetic brain stimulation to identify and stimulate weakening structural connections in the brain. Vallence says: “A common consequence of age-related declines in voluntary movement is a near-fall, which results in reduced activity and fear of falling, which in turn increases the likelihood of a major fall and injury. The outcomes of a major fall are obvious – loss of independence and admission to aged care. Improving voluntary motor control in the ageing population will have a significantly positive effect on families and communities.” She sits down with Aged Care Insite to discuss the research and its potential to aid in the reduction of falls. ACI: What does this technique involve for the individual? Minds in the balance 38 agedcareinsite.com.au AMV: The technique I use for my research is known as trans-cranial magnetic stimulation, and that’s a non-invasive brain stimulation technique. When we have a volunteer come into the lab, we have a hand-held device that we place against the volunteer’s scalp. We hold this device over the part of the brain that controls the muscles of the body. The volunteer will feel two things: a little tap on their head exactly beneath the location of the [device], and also a little twitch in the muscle. That’s because we’re using the stimulation to activate the brain cells that control the muscles. Therefore, we activate the muscle.