Maturation of sensory reweighting in children

Abstract

Background: Postural control relies on the integration of the sensory and motor system. An important task of the sensory system is to adequately organize somatosensory, visual, and vestibular inputs. During changing sensory conditions, the sensory system should reorganize these inputs, known as sensory reweighting. No consensus is present about the age when mature sensory reweighting is achieved. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted using the databases of Web of Science (WOS) and PubMed, to involve all current evidence concerning the maturation of sensory reweighting. Data concerning differences in sensory reweighting of children compared to adults were extracted. Results: A total of 30 studies were included. The sensory reweighting was found to mature between 3 and 6 years of age during visual perturbations, between 8 and 15 years of age during somatosensory perturbations, and around 16 years of age during visual and somatosensory perturbation. Sensory reweighting during sway-referenced visual environment and visual flow matured at a later age compared to the eyes-closed condition. Discussion and conclusion: The exact ages when mature values of the sensory reweighting during different sensory conditions are achieved were uncertain, but a clear sequential order was present.