Age-related changes in prefrontal activity during walking in dual-task situations: A fNIRS study
- Background: Previous studies suggest that the human gait is under control of higher-order cognitive processes, located in the frontal lobes, such that an age-related degradation of cognitive capabilities has a negative impact on gait. Results: Our behavioral data partly confirm previous accounts on higher dual-task costs in stepping parameters (i.e., decreased step duration) in old age, particularly with a visual task and negative dual-task cost (i.e., improved performance) during the verbal task in young adults. Functional imaging data revealed little change of prefrontal activation from single- to dual-task walking in young individuals. In the elderly, however, prefrontal activation substantially decreased during dual-task walking with a complex visual task. Conclusion: We interpret these findings as evidence for a shift of processing resources from the prefrontal cortex to other brain regions when seniors face the challenge of walking and concurrently executing a visually demanding task. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rightsBackground: Previous studies suggest that the human gait is under control of higher-order cognitive processes, located in the frontal lobes, such that an age-related degradation of cognitive capabilities has a negative impact on gait. Results: Our behavioral data partly confirm previous accounts on higher dual-task costs in stepping parameters (i.e., decreased step duration) in old age, particularly with a visual task and negative dual-task cost (i.e., improved performance) during the verbal task in young adults. Functional imaging data revealed little change of prefrontal activation from single- to dual-task walking in young individuals. In the elderly, however, prefrontal activation substantially decreased during dual-task walking with a complex visual task. Conclusion: We interpret these findings as evidence for a shift of processing resources from the prefrontal cortex to other brain regions when seniors face the challenge of walking and concurrently executing a visually demanding task. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.…
Author details: | Rainer Beurskens, Ingo Helmich, Robert Rein, Otmar L. Bock |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2014.03.005 |
ISSN: | 0167-8760 |
ISSN: | 1872-7697 |
Pubmed ID: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24681355 |
Title of parent work (English): | International journal of psychophysiology |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Place of publishing: | Amsterdam |
Publication type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Year of first publication: | 2014 |
Publication year: | 2014 |
Release date: | 2017/03/27 |
Tag: | Aging; Dual-task walking; Executive function; Locomotion; Neural activation; fNIRS |
Volume: | 92 |
Issue: | 3 |
Number of pages: | 7 |
First page: | 122 |
Last Page: | 128 |
Organizational units: | Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Strukturbereich Kognitionswissenschaften / Department Sport- und Gesundheitswissenschaften |
Peer review: | Referiert |
Institution name at the time of the publication: | Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Sportwissenschaft |