Age-related changes in the control of perturbation-evoked and voluntary arm movements

Highlights ► Ageing leads to changes in the ability to produce perturbation-evoked arm responses following an unexpected loss of balance. ► Altering the predictability of the handrail location affects electromyographic and kinematic arm responses in both young and older adults. ► Age-related differences in arm responses are independent of handrail predictability and movement task (i.e., perturbation-evoked versus voluntary reaching), suggesting that ageing leads to a deterioration in neural mechanisms that are common to both reactive and voluntary arm movements.