What research is being done to help treat and prevent balance disorders?
Scientists are working to understand the complex interactions between the part of the inner ear responsible for balance and the brain. They are also studying the effectiveness of certain exercises as a treatment option for balance disorders. In 1998, Senator John Glenn, who was 77 years old at the time, took part in a study sponsored by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, the National Institute on Aging, and NASA on how well a person recovers balance after returning from the weightlessness of space. Data collected during the mission may help explain how a person recovers from a balance disorder. It also may help researchers develop ways to prevent injury from balance-related falls as people grow older.
