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Sakurai R, Kodama K, Ozawa Y, Pieruccini-Faria F, Kobayashi-Cuya KE, Ogawa S. Association of age-related cognitive and obstacle avoidance performances. Sci Rep 2021; 11:12552. [PMID: 34131185 PMCID: PMC8206153 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91841-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
An association between cognitive impairment and tripping over obstacles during locomotion in older adults has been suggested. However, owing to its memory-guided movement, whether this is more pronounced in the trailing limb is poorly known. We examined age-related changes in stepping over, focusing on trailing limb movements, and their association with cognitive performance. Age-related changes in obstacle avoidance were examined by comparing the foot kinematics of 105 older and 103 younger adults when stepping over an obstacle. The difference in the clearance between the leading and trailing limbs (Δ clearance) was calculated to determine the degree of decrement in the clearance of the trailing limb. A cognitive test battery was used to evaluate cognitive function among older adults to assess their association with Δ clearance. Older adults showed a significantly lower clearance of the trailing limb than young adults, resulting in greater Δ clearance. Significant correlations were observed between greater Δ clearance and scores on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and immediate recall of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised Logical Memory test. Therefore, memory functions may contribute to the control of trailing limb movements, which can secure a safety margin to avoid stumbling over an obstacle during obstacle avoidance locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryota Sakurai
- Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Kentaro Kodama
- University Education Center, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yu Ozawa
- Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, 2-579-15 Mikajima, Tokorozawa, Saitama, 359-1192, Japan
| | - Frederico Pieruccini-Faria
- Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.,Gait and Brain Lab, Parkwood Institute and Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada
| | - Kimi Estela Kobayashi-Cuya
- Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.,Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Health Technology Assessment, St. Luke's International University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Susumu Ogawa
- Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan
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Wong C, Pearson KG, Lomber SG. Contributions of Parietal Cortex to the Working Memory of an Obstacle Acquired Visually or Tactilely in the Locomoting Cat. Cereb Cortex 2019; 28:3143-3158. [PMID: 28981640 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
A working memory of obstacles is essential for navigating complex, cluttered terrain. In quadrupeds, it has been proposed that parietal cortical areas related to movement planning and working memory may be important for guiding the hindlegs over an obstacle previously cleared by the forelegs. To test this hypothesis, parietal areas 5 and 7 were reversibly deactivated in walking cats. The working memory of an obstacle was assessed in both a visually dependent and tactilely dependent paradigm. Reversible bilateral deactivation of area 5, but not area 7, altered hindleg stepping in a manner indicating that the animals did not recall the obstacle over which their forelegs had stepped. Similar deficits were observed when area 5 deactivation was restricted to the delay during which obstacle memory must be maintained. Furthermore, partial memory recovery observed when area 5 function was deactivated and restored within this maintenance period suggests that the deactivation may suppress, but not eliminate, the working memory of an obstacle. As area 5 deactivations incurred similar memory deficits in both visual and tactile obstacle working memory paradigms, parietal area 5 is critical for maintaining the working memory of an obstacle acquired via vision or touch that is used to modify stepping for avoidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Wong
- Cerebral Systems Laboratory, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Keir G Pearson
- Department of Physiology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Stephen G Lomber
- Cerebral Systems Laboratory, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.,Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
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Wong C, Lomber SG. Reversible Cooling-induced Deactivations to Study Cortical Contributions to Obstacle Memory in the Walking Cat. J Vis Exp 2017. [PMID: 29286402 DOI: 10.3791/56196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
On complex, naturalistic terrain, sensory information about an environmental obstacle can be used to rapidly adjust locomotor movements for avoidance. For example, in the cat, visual information about an impending obstacle can modulate stepping for avoidance. Locomotor adaptation can also occur independent of vision, as sudden tactile inputs to the leg by an expected obstacle can modify the stepping of all four legs for avoidance. Such complex locomotor coordination involves supraspinal structures, such as the parietal cortex. This protocol describes the use of reversible, cooling-induced cortical deactivation to assess parietal cortex contributions to memory-guided obstacle locomotion in the cat. Small cooling loops, known as cryoloops, are specially shaped to deactivate discrete regions of interest to assess their contributions to an overt behavior. Such methods have been used to elucidate the role of parietal area 5 in memory-guided obstacle avoidance in the cat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Wong
- Cerebral Systems Laboratory, University of Western Ontario; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario;
| | - Stephen G Lomber
- Cerebral Systems Laboratory, University of Western Ontario; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario; Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario; Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario
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Heijnen MJH, Rietdyk S. Failures in adaptive locomotion: trial-and-error exploration to determine adequate foot elevation over obstacles. Exp Brain Res 2017; 236:187-194. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-017-5117-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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