| The control of quiet standing posture is related to the integration of various sensory cues. Although visual, vestibular and proprioceptive inputs have been widely associated with postural control, the contribution of auditory cues has not yet been shown. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to assess their role with a biomechanical approach. Four groups of subjects (children, adults, elderly and visual-impaired people) were studied in two experimentations (1-Various auditory surroundings, 2-Various stationary auditory field locations). The results show that audition is implicated in postural regulation processes for each group and creates postural instability. The sighted subjects may integrate auditory cues by creating interaural time and intensity differences and rely on low frequencies and reverberatory fields to regulate their posture. The blind people might use compensation mechanisms based on crossmodal and intramodal plasticity to make up for the visual deficiency. |
