Before a Fall

Imagine walking down this eerie hallway, then all of a sudden the walls begin to shake – forcing you to shift your feet and regain your balance. This 'balance challenge' is a trick of virtual reality used to fluster the participant’s optical flow – how we perceive our movement relative to the scenery – and spot problems with gait and balance common in those with multiple sclerosis. While a walk on a treadmill often isn’t enough to distinguish between healthy and affected legs, which may have damaged neurons more susceptible to falls, this simulated instability creates a tell-tale reaction, helping with diagnosis and treatment. Spotting these symptoms early, with a portable version of this test perhaps, may help patients avoid injury – while similar technology helps to improve their balance in the real world.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Image from the Franz Lab, UNC School of Medicine
• Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
• Image copyright held by the original authors
• Research published in PLOS ONE, March 2020