Sensory organization abilities during upright stance in late-onset Alzheimer's-type dementia.

Postural stability was compared between individuals with mild and moderate Alzheimer's dementia and healthy older adults, using the Sensory Organization Test. Interestingly, the moderate group performed more like the healthy group than the mild group. Significant differences (p </= .008) in postural stability were found between the mild group and both the healthy and moderate Alzheimer's groups when vestibular information was critical for stability. Additional differences were found between the healthy and mild groups when vision was inaccurate. These findings suggest a decreased visual dependence in the later stages of the illness, possibly due to the visual disturbances associated with disease progression.