Why older people are more likely to lose their balance

Available for over a year

Assistant Professor Jessica Bernard from Texas AMU studies the affect of aging on the cerebellum, a part of the brain, about the size of an orange that sits at the back and base of the skull. She tells CrowdScience’s Anand Jagatia that our brain shrinks with age. In addition, our memory become patchier and though it might not seem connected, we use our thinking power to balance. Tests with young healthy volunteers show that they find it harder to stand up straight if they are also performing difficult mental tasks.