Identifying the Neural and Cognitive Contributors to Dizziness in Older Adults

Older adults often report feelings of dizziness. Dizziness can disrupt balance and increase the likelihood of a fall occurring. Rather than having a clear physical cause, preliminary research suggests that dizziness in older adults may often be caused by psychological factors; specifically, thinking about one's balance more than is necessary or helpful. However, it is not known how such 'over-thinking' influences dizziness. One idea is that this may disrupt the subconscious brain processes that typically control balance. I propose to measure symptoms of dizziness and assess brain activity during baseline conditions of balance, as well as during experimental manipulations that either promote or prevent over-thinking about balance. Data will be compared between dizzy older adults and older adults without dizziness complaints. This work will advance our understanding of the psychological factors that contribute to dizziness in older adults. This will inform the development of novel therapies that target these mechanisms.