Dr. Raffegeau uses an interdisciplinary approach to study the cognitive (e.g. attention) and emotional (e.g. anxiety) factors that contribute to balance control during gait and fall risk in older adults. Her interests lie at the intersection of the affect-balance-cognition triad of fall-risk, a high-risk aging phenotype exhibiting mood, motor, and cognitive deficits, present in an estimated 1 in 5 seniors.
Dr. Raffegeau uses immersive virtual reality to test the anxiety response empirically. Dr. Raffegeau and her team have developed a way to measure changes in walking performance when people walk at a simulated high elevation (15 meters above ground). The program has demonstrated excellent feasibility, providing a relatively safe way to test the anxiety response and understand the motor and cognitive processes involved.
