1
|
Kirby ED, Andrushko JW, Boyd LA, Koschutnig K, D'Arcy RCN. Sex differences in patterns of white matter neuroplasticity after balance training in young adults. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 18:1432830. [PMID: 39257696 PMCID: PMC11383771 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1432830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 08/08/2024] [Indexed: 09/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction In past work we demonstrated different patterns of white matter (WM) plasticity in females versus males associated with learning a lab-based unilateral motor skill. However, this work was completed in neurologically intact older adults. The current manuscript sought to replicate and expand upon these WM findings in two ways: (1) we investigated biological sex differences in neurologically intact young adults, and (2) participants learned a dynamic full-body balance task. Methods 24 participants (14 female, 10 male) participated in the balance training intervention, and 28 were matched controls (16 female, 12 male). Correlational tractography was used to analyze changes in WM from pre- to post-training. Results Both females and males demonstrated skill acquisition, yet there were significant differences in measures of WM between females and males. These data support a growing body of evidence suggesting that females exhibit increased WM neuroplasticity changes relative to males despite comparable changes in motor behavior (e.g., balance). Discussion The biological sex differences reported here may represent an important factor to consider in both basic research (e.g., collapsing across females and males) as well as future clinical studies of neuroplasticity associated with motor function (e.g., tailored rehabilitation approaches).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eric D Kirby
- BrainNet, Health and Technology District, Surrey, BC, Canada
- Faculty of Individualized Interdisciplinary Studies, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
- Faculty of Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Justin W Andrushko
- Djavad Mowafaghian Center for Brain Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom
- Brain Behavior Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Lara A Boyd
- Djavad Mowafaghian Center for Brain Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Brain Behavior Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Karl Koschutnig
- Institute of Psychology, BioTechMed Graz, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Ryan C N D'Arcy
- BrainNet, Health and Technology District, Surrey, BC, Canada
- Djavad Mowafaghian Center for Brain Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Inagaki S, Matsuura H, Sakurai K, Minati L, Yoshimura N. Decline in Sensory Integration in Old Age and Its Related Functional Brain Connectivity Correlates Observed during a Virtual Reality Task. Brain Sci 2024; 14:840. [PMID: 39199531 PMCID: PMC11352474 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14080840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2024] [Revised: 08/17/2024] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Sensory integration is an essential human function whose decline impacts quality of life, particularly in older adults. Herein, we propose an arm-reaching task based on a virtual reality head-mounted display system to assess sensory integration in daily life, and we examined whether reaching task performance was associated with resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) between the brain regions involved in sensory integration. We hypothesized that declining sensory integration would affect performance during a reaching task with multiple cognitive loads. Using a task in which a young/middle-aged group showed only small individual differences, older adults showed large individual differences in the gap angle between the reaching hand and the target position, which was used to assess sensory integration function. Additionally, rsfMRI data were used to identify correlations between rsFC and performance in older adults, showing that performance was correlated with connectivity between the primary motor area and the left inferior temporal gyrus and temporo-occipital region. Connectivity between areas is related to visuomotor integration; thus, the results suggest the involvement of visuomotor integration in the decline of sensory integration function and the validity of the gap angle during this VR reaching task as an index of functional decline.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Satoru Inagaki
- Human Centered Science and Biomedical Engineering, Department of Computer Science, School of Computing, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 226-8501, Japan;
| | - Hirokazu Matsuura
- Information and Communications Engineering, Department of Information and Communications Engineering, School of Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 226-8501, Japan; (H.M.); (K.S.)
| | - Kazuki Sakurai
- Information and Communications Engineering, Department of Information and Communications Engineering, School of Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 226-8501, Japan; (H.M.); (K.S.)
| | - Ludovico Minati
- Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 226-8501, Japan;
- Center for Mind/Brain Science, University of Trento, 38122 Trento, Italy
- School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610056, China
| | - Natsue Yoshimura
- School of Computing, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 226-8501, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Guo Y, Jones EJ, Škarabot J, Inns TB, Phillips BE, Atherton PJ, Piasecki M. Common synaptic inputs and persistent inward currents of vastus lateralis motor units are reduced in older male adults. GeroScience 2024; 46:3249-3261. [PMID: 38238546 PMCID: PMC11009172 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-024-01063-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Although muscle atrophy may partially account for age-related strength decline, it is further influenced by alterations of neural input to muscle. Persistent inward currents (PIC) and the level of common synaptic inputs to motoneurons influence neuromuscular function. However, these have not yet been described in the aged human quadriceps. High-density surface electromyography (HDsEMG) signals were collected from the vastus lateralis of 15 young (mean ± SD, 23 ± 5 y) and 15 older (67 ± 9 y) men during submaximal sustained and 20-s ramped contractions. HDsEMG signals were decomposed to identify individual motor unit discharges, from which PIC amplitude and intramuscular coherence were estimated. Older participants produced significantly lower knee extensor torque (p < 0.001) and poorer force tracking ability (p < 0.001) than young. Older participants also had lower PIC amplitude (p = 0.001) and coherence estimates in the alpha frequency band (p < 0.001) during ramp contractions when compared to young. Persistent inward currents and common synaptic inputs are lower in the vastus lateralis of older males when compared to young. These data highlight altered neural input to the clinically and functionally important quadriceps, further underpinning age-related loss of function which may occur independently of the loss of muscle mass.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuxiao Guo
- Centre of Metabolism, Ageing & Physiology (COMAP), MRC-Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research &, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Royal Derby Hospital Centre (Room 3011), Derby, DE22 3DT, UK
| | - Eleanor J Jones
- Centre of Metabolism, Ageing & Physiology (COMAP), MRC-Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research &, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Royal Derby Hospital Centre (Room 3011), Derby, DE22 3DT, UK
| | - Jakob Škarabot
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
| | - Thomas B Inns
- Centre of Metabolism, Ageing & Physiology (COMAP), MRC-Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research &, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Royal Derby Hospital Centre (Room 3011), Derby, DE22 3DT, UK
| | - Bethan E Phillips
- Centre of Metabolism, Ageing & Physiology (COMAP), MRC-Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research &, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Royal Derby Hospital Centre (Room 3011), Derby, DE22 3DT, UK
| | - Philip J Atherton
- Centre of Metabolism, Ageing & Physiology (COMAP), MRC-Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research &, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Royal Derby Hospital Centre (Room 3011), Derby, DE22 3DT, UK
| | - Mathew Piasecki
- Centre of Metabolism, Ageing & Physiology (COMAP), MRC-Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research &, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Royal Derby Hospital Centre (Room 3011), Derby, DE22 3DT, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Hwang J, Liu C, Winesett SP, Chatterjee SA, Gruber AD, Swanson CW, Manini TM, Hass CJ, Seidler RD, Ferris DP, Roy A, Clark DJ. Prefrontal cortical activity during uneven terrain walking in younger and older adults. Front Aging Neurosci 2024; 16:1389488. [PMID: 38765771 PMCID: PMC11099210 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1389488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Walking in complex environments increases the cognitive demand of locomotor control; however, our understanding of the neural mechanisms contributing to walking on uneven terrain is limited. We used a novel method for altering terrain unevenness on a treadmill to investigate the association between terrain unevenness and cortical activity in the prefrontal cortex, a region known to be involved in various cognitive functions. Methods Prefrontal cortical activity was measured with functional near infrared spectroscopy while participants walked on a novel custom-made terrain treadmill surface across four different terrains: flat, low, medium, and high levels of unevenness. The assessments were conducted in younger adults, older adults with better mobility function and older adults with worse mobility function. Mobility function was assessed using the Short Physical Performance Battery. The primary hypothesis was that increasing the unevenness of the terrain would result in greater prefrontal cortical activation in all groups. Secondary hypotheses were that heightened prefrontal cortical activation would be observed in the older groups relative to the younger group, and that prefrontal cortical activation would plateau at higher levels of terrain unevenness for the older adults with worse mobility function, as predicted by the Compensation Related Utilization of Neural Circuits Hypothesis. Results The results revealed a significant main effect of terrain, indicating a significant increase in prefrontal cortical activation with increasing terrain unevenness during walking in all groups. A significant main effect of group revealed that prefrontal cortical activation was higher in older adults with better mobility function compared to younger adults and older adults with worse mobility function in all pooled terrains, but there was no significant difference in prefrontal cortical activation between older adults with worse mobility function and younger adults. Contrary to our hypothesis, the older group with better mobility function displayed a sustained increase in activation but the other groups did not, suggestive of neural compensation. Additional findings were that task-related increases in prefrontal cortical activation during walking were lateralized to the right hemisphere in older adults with better mobility function but were bilateral in older adults with worse mobility function and younger adults. Discussion These findings support that compared to walking on a flat surface, walking on uneven terrain surfaces increases demand on cognitive control resources as measured by prefrontal cortical activation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jungyun Hwang
- Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Chang Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Steven P. Winesett
- Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Brain Rehabilitation Research Center, Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Sudeshna A. Chatterjee
- Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Anthony D. Gruber
- Brain Rehabilitation Research Center, Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Clayton W. Swanson
- Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Brain Rehabilitation Research Center, Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Todd M. Manini
- Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Chris J. Hass
- Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Rachael D. Seidler
- McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Daniel P. Ferris
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Arkaprava Roy
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - David J. Clark
- Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Brain Rehabilitation Research Center, Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, Gainesville, FL, United States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Zvornik A, Andersen KA, Petersen AD, Novén M, Siebner HR, Lundbye-Jensen J, Karabanov AN. Older and younger adults differ in time course of skill acquisition but not in overall improvement in a bimanual visuomotor tracking task. Front Aging Neurosci 2024; 16:1373252. [PMID: 38665899 PMCID: PMC11043555 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1373252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Manual motor performance declines with age, but the extent to which age influences the acquisition of new skills remains a topic of debate. Here, we examined whether older healthy adults show less training-dependent performance improvements during a single session of a bimanual pinch task than younger adults. We also explored whether physical and cognitive factors, such as grip strength or motor-cognitive ability, are associated with performance improvements. Healthy younger (n = 16) and older (n = 20) adults performed three training blocks separated by short breaks. Participants were tasked with producing visually instructed changes in pinch force using their right and left thumb and index fingers. Task complexity was varied by shifting between bimanual mirror-symmetric and inverse-asymmetric changes in pinch force. Older adults generally displayed higher visuomotor force tracking errors during the more complex inverse-asymmetric task compared to younger adults. Both groups showed a comparable net decrease in visuomotor force tracking error over the entire session, but their improvement trajectories differed. Young adults showed enhanced visuomotor tracking error only in the first block, while older adults exhibited a more gradual improvement over the three training blocks. Furthermore, grip strength and performance on a motor-cognitive test battery scaled positively with individual performance improvements during the first block in both age groups. Together, the results show subtle age-dependent differences in the rate of bimanual visuomotor skill acquisition, while overall short-term learning ability is maintained.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Zvornik
- Department of Nutrition, Exercise, and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Keenie Ayla Andersen
- Department of Nutrition, Exercise, and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Andreas Deigaard Petersen
- Department of Nutrition, Exercise, and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mikael Novén
- Department of Nutrition, Exercise, and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Hartwig Roman Siebner
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Amager and Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Institute for Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jesper Lundbye-Jensen
- Department of Nutrition, Exercise, and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anke Ninija Karabanov
- Department of Nutrition, Exercise, and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Amager and Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Hulstijn W, Cornelis C, Morsel A, Timmers M, Morrens M, Sabbe BGC. Motor learning and performance in schizophrenia and aging: two different patterns of decline. Exp Brain Res 2024:10.1007/s00221-024-06797-9. [PMID: 38459999 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-024-06797-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024]
Abstract
Psychomotor slowing has consistently been observed in schizophrenia, however research on motor learning in schizophrenia is limited. Additionally, motor learning in schizophrenia has never been compared with the waning of motor learning abilities in the elderly. Therefore, in an extensive study, 30 individuals with schizophrenia, 30 healthy age-matched controls and 30 elderly participants were compared on sensorimotor learning tasks including sequence learning and adaptation (both explicit and implicit), as well as tracking and aiming. This paper presents new findings on an explicit motor sequence learning task, an explicit verbal learning task and a simple aiming task and summarizes all previously published findings of this large investigation. Individuals with schizophrenia and elderly had slower Movement Time (MT)s compared with controls in all tasks, however both groups improved over time. Elderly participants learned slower on tracking and explicit sequence learning while individuals with schizophrenia adapted slower and to a lesser extent to movement perturbations in adaptation tasks and performed less well on cognitive tests including the verbal learning task. Results suggest that motor slowing is present in schizophrenia and the elderly, however both groups show significant but different motor skill learning. Cognitive deficits seem to interfere with motor learning and performance in schizophrenia while task complexity and decreased movement precision interferes with motor learning in the elderly, reflecting different underlying patterns of decline in these conditions. In addition, evidence for motor slowing together with impaired implicit adaptation supports the influence of cerebellum and the cerebello-thalamo-cortical-cerebellar (CTCC) circuits in schizophrenia, important for further understanding the pathophysiology of the disorder.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wouter Hulstijn
- Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Claudia Cornelis
- Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Psychiatric Center Multiversum, Mortsel, Belgium
| | - Anne Morsel
- Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Maarten Timmers
- Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Janssen Research and Development, Beerse, Belgium
| | - Manuel Morrens
- Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- University Psychiatric Center Duffel, Duffel, Belgium
| | - Bernard G C Sabbe
- Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Ranchod S, Rakobowchuk M, Gonzalez C. Distinct age-related brain activity patterns in the prefrontal cortex when increasing cognitive load: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0293394. [PMID: 38091335 PMCID: PMC10718428 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Researchers have long observed distinct brain activity patterns in older adults compared with younger adults that correlate with cognitive performance. Mainly, older adults tend to show over-recruitment of bilateral brain regions during lower task loads and improved performance interpreted as compensation, but not observed at higher loads. However, there are discrepancies about whether increases in activity are compensatory and whether older adults can show compensation at higher loads. Our aim was to examine age-related differences in prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity and cognitive performance using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during single and dual N-back tasks. Twenty-seven young adults (18-27 years) and 31 older adults (64-84 yrs) took part in the study. We used a robust fNIRS data methodology consisting of channel and region of interest analyses. Results showed differences in performance between task load conditions and age-related differences in reaction times but no age-group effects for accuracy. Older adults exhibited more bilateral PFC activation compared with young adults across all tasks and showed increases in brain activity in high compared to low load conditions. Our findings further support previous reports showing that older adults use compensatory recruitment of additional brain regions in PFC to maintain cognitive performance but go against the notion that such compensation is not present at higher cognitive loads. Additionally, our results indicate that fNIRS is a sensitive tool that can characterize adaptive cortical changes in healthy aging.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Supreeta Ranchod
- Biology Department, Faculty of Science, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
- Psychology Department, Faculty of Arts, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Mark Rakobowchuk
- Biology Department, Faculty of Science, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Claudia Gonzalez
- Psychology Department, Faculty of Arts, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Shah VA, Cruz-Almeida Y, Roy A, Cenko E, Downey RJ, Ferris DP, Hass CJ, Reuter-Lorenz PA, Clark DJ, Manini TM, Seidler RD. Uneven terrain versus dual-task walking: differential challenges imposed on walking behavior in older adults are predicted by cognitive and sensorimotor function. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.14.531779. [PMID: 36993462 PMCID: PMC10054936 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.14.531779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/13/2023]
Abstract
Aging is associated with declines in walking function. To understand these mobility declines, many studies have obtained measurements while participants walk on flat surfaces in laboratory settings during concurrent cognitive task performance (dual-tasking). This may not adequately capture the real-world challenges of walking at home and around the community. Here, we hypothesized that uneven terrains in the walking path impose differential changes to walking speed compared to dual-task walking. We also hypothesized that changes in walking speed resulting from uneven terrains will be better predicted by sensorimotor function than cognitive function. Sixty-three community-dwelling older adults (65-93 yrs old) performed overground walking under varying walking conditions. Older adults were classified into two mobility function groups based on scores of the Short Physical Performance Battery. They performed uneven terrain walking across four surface conditions (Flat, Low, Medium, and High unevenness) and performed single and verbal dual-task walking on flat ground. Participants also underwent a battery of cognitive (cognitive flexibility, working memory, inhibition) and sensorimotor testing (grip strength, 2-pt discrimination, pressure pain threshold). Our results showed that walking speed decreased during both dual-task walking and across uneven terrain walking conditions compared to walking on flat terrain. Participants with lower mobility function had even greater decreases in uneven terrain walking speeds. The change in uneven terrain speed was associated with attention and inhibitory function. Changes in both dual-task and uneven terrain walking speeds were associated with 2-point tactile discrimination. This study further documents associations between mobility, executive functions, and somatosensation, highlights the differential costs to walking imposed by uneven terrains, and identifies that older adults with lower mobility function are more likely to experience these changes to walking function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valay A Shah
- Dept. of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Dept. of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Yenisel Cruz-Almeida
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence (PRICE), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Dept. of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Arkaprava Roy
- Dept. of Biostatistics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Erta Cenko
- Dept. of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Dept. of Epidemiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Ryan J Downey
- Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Daniel P Ferris
- Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Chris J Hass
- Dept. of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | | | - David J Clark
- Dept of Physiology and Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Brain Rehabilitation Research Center, Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Todd M Manini
- Dept. of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Rachael D Seidler
- Dept. of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| |
Collapse
|