This project is to support an international and interdisciplinary research conference on the most current research on balance, gait and associated disorders with applications to rehabilitation and clinical practice. The conference will focus on four specific themes: 1) vestibular mechanisms; 2) aging; 3) neurological disorders; and 4) rehabilitation. The significance to society is that the neural/biomechanical systems involved in balance and gait are subject to injury and dysfunction, leading to poor control of upright stance with limited treatment options. By bringing together scholars who investigate balance/gait and mobility problems, and focusing on how basic research is furthering clinical practice, progress will be made in understanding and remedying the difficulties that older adults and patient populations experience with motor behaviors that play a fundamental role in the quality of everyday life. Poor balance is a major cause of falls in older adults and patient populations and is strongly associated with functional decline and frailty. The cost to society is enormous. Total costs of fall injuries for people 65+ in 1994 were $20.4 B and are expected to exceed $32B by 2020, leading Congress to legislation expanding fall-related research and fall-risk reduction programs (House Resolution 3695, 2002). We argue that a better understanding of the processes underlying the control of posture and locomotion will enhance the treatment options presently available. ? ? ? ?
