Posture is a complex sensory-motor behavior that can be influenced by the fear of falling (FoF) during environmental changes. The aim of this paper is to investigate the influence of FoF on orthostatic postural control in healthy individuals by a systematic review. Thirteen articles were selected. Some other articles (31 references) were used to contextualize and discuss the topic. Studies in the environment made changes on the environment, in which participants were positioned in high hydraulic platforms at different heights, showed a decrease in the center of pressure in the anteroposterior oscillation where the platform was higher. This change in postural control strategy and the FoF are correlated. It can modulate the activity of the muscle spindle (H-reflex) and probably induce postural freezing phenomenon (anticipated postural anxiety). We can conclude that further studies are needed to understand the physiological echanisms involved in FoF and its relation to changes in postural control strategy.

Introduction:Ambulatory actigraphy is a simple and objective method for the evaluation of motor activity that is used in several neuropsychiatric disoders such as depression, agitation, apathy, and sleep disorders.Objective:To evaluate the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of actigraphic postural detection versus postural data gathered by observer during multiple guided activities.Material and methods:A voluntary healthy subject was equipped with different actigraphs (Actiwatch®; MicroMini- Motionlogger®; MotionLog®; Movilis®) then realized multiple guided activities during a 7-hour diurnal period : walking, standing, sitting, decubitus with sleep. Actigraphs were worn on different locations (wrists, thorax, ankles, belt) and two of them included postural recognition in addition to motor activity monitoring. Se and Sp for postural recognition compared to ground-truth were obtained from table of confusion based on raw activity data recordings; error of attribution due to devices is detailed in confusion matrix.Results:Actigraphy postural recognition is efficient for lying position detection (MotionLog: Se 99% Sp 97%; Movilis: Se 80% Sp 72%). Standing position was mainly recognized as sitting position and therefore actigraphic detection lacks of accuracy for these positions. Walking is detected with 20% error.Conclusion:Postural actigraphy is efficient for lying position detection and actigraphic postural recognition could improve detection and characterization of nocturnal awakenings and diurnal napping in clinical practice.