The Effect of Age on Prefrontal Cortex Activity during Visually Cued Walking

Presenter

Reut Berman

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Douglas Martini, Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 5, 3:30 PM - 4:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A62, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 4 (A61-A80) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

Background and aims

Several studies have identified increased cortical activation during gait in older adults compared to younger adults. However, few studies have included a complex gait task that mimics real world gait demands, which require careful foot placement to maintain balance. Importantly, increased activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during gait may be a compensation for impaired motor processing, increasing fall risk. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of aging on PFC activity during visually cued gait.

Methods

Four young adults (mean: 22.8 [sd: 2.2] years, 2 male) and four older adults (72.0 [4.3] years, 2 male) without walking impairments participated. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to quantify relative PFC activity. The gait task consisted of a 3-minute treadmill walk requiring participants to step on projected visual stepping targets, attuned to foot size and step length. Four key fNIRS channels were analyzed, corresponding to the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. An independent samples t-test compared PFC activation differences between younger and older adults during visually cued gait.

Results 

 Relative PFC activity during complex gait was not different between older (+0.13 [0.05] μmol) and young adults (0.18 [0.36] μmol). However, a large effect size (d = 1.19) suggests that differences may be demonstrated with an increased sample size.

Conclusion 

Compared to young adults, older adults may have increased PFC activity during visually cued gait. This increased PFC activity may be related to fall risk but requires additional research to verify this association.

Keywords

Oxygenated hemoglobin , Treadmill walking, Prefrontal cortex activation, Complex gait task , Functional near-infrared spectroscopy

Research Area

Neuroscience and Cognitive Science

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