Identifying the changes in the cortical activity of various brain regions for different balance tasks: A review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Balance support is critical to a person’s overall function and health. Previous neuroimaging studies have shown that cortical structures play an essential role in postural control. OBJECTIVE: This review aims to identify differences in the pattern of neural activity induced by balance tasks with different balance control requirements. METHODS: Seventy-four articles were selected from the field of balance training and were examined based on four brain function detection technologies. RESULTS: In general, most studies focused on the activity changes of various cortical areas during training at different difficulty levels, but more and more attention has also begun to focus on the functional changes of other cortical and deep subcortical structures. Our analysis also revealed the neglect of certain task types. CONCLUSION: Based on these results, we identify and discuss future research directions that may contribute to a clear understanding of neural functional plasticity under different tasks.