Interaction between emotion and postural control associated with forward or backward step initiation

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of emotion-eliciting images on anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) associated to forward or backward step initiation. Eighteen healthy young women initiated the two kinds of steps in two conditions: (1) if they judged the image as pleasant or unpleasant, respectively ( i.e. congruent condition) and (2) if they judged the image as unpleasant or pleasant, respectively ( i.e. incongruent condition). Nine participants performed the congruent condition first while the others performed it in second. The results show that the emotional effect ( i.e. the difference between the congruent and incongruent conditions) on APAs associated to forward step only differs according to the axis (anterior-posterior, medio-lateral) that is considered, suggesting a specific emotional component of postural stability.