New scientific research has revealed how a small part of the brain singlehandedly steadies the body if it is thrown off balance. Whether it’s tripping on an uneven patch of sidewalk or negotiating a wobbly balance beam, we can all recall times when we’ve nearly lost our balance—only to be saved by some quick reflexes,” said Thomas M. Jessell, PhD, co-director of Columbia’s Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Claire Tow Professor of Motor Neuron Disorders at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
