Prefrontal Cortex Activity During Walking: Effects of Aging and Associations With Gait and Executive Function

Background: Declines in gait parameters are common with aging and more pronounced in tasks with increased executive demand. However, the neural correlates of age-related gait impairments are not fully understood yet. Objectives: To investigate (a) the effects of aging on prefrontal cortex (PFC) acti...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Authors: Nóbrega-Sousa, Priscila [UNESP]; Gobbi, Lilian Teresa Bucken [UNESP]; Orcioli-Silva, Diego [UNESP]; Conceição, Núbia Ribeiro da [UNESP]; Beretta, Victor Spiandor [UNESP]; Vitório, Rodrigo [UNESP]
Format: Article
Status:Published version
Publication date:2020
Country:Brasil
Institution:UNESP
Repository:Repositório Institucional da UNESP
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.unesp.br:11449/202061
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1545968320953824
http://hdl.handle.net/11449/202061
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:aging
dual-tasking
fNIRS
gait
obstacles
_version_ 1878764638085054464
author Nóbrega-Sousa, Priscila [UNESP]
author2 Gobbi, Lilian Teresa Bucken [UNESP]
Orcioli-Silva, Diego [UNESP]
Conceição, Núbia Ribeiro da [UNESP]
Beretta, Victor Spiandor [UNESP]
Vitório, Rodrigo [UNESP]
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author_browse Beretta, Victor Spiandor [UNESP]
Conceição, Núbia Ribeiro da [UNESP]
Gobbi, Lilian Teresa Bucken [UNESP]
Nóbrega-Sousa, Priscila [UNESP]
Orcioli-Silva, Diego [UNESP]
Vitório, Rodrigo [UNESP]
author_facet Nóbrega-Sousa, Priscila [UNESP]
Gobbi, Lilian Teresa Bucken [UNESP]
Orcioli-Silva, Diego [UNESP]
Conceição, Núbia Ribeiro da [UNESP]
Beretta, Victor Spiandor [UNESP]
Vitório, Rodrigo [UNESP]
author_role author
collection Repositório Institucional da UNESP
description Background: Declines in gait parameters are common with aging and more pronounced in tasks with increased executive demand. However, the neural correlates of age-related gait impairments are not fully understood yet. Objectives: To investigate (a) the effects of aging on prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity and gait parameters during usual walking, obstacle crossing and dual-task walking and (b) the association between PFC activity and measures of gait and executive function. Methods: Eighty-eight healthy individuals were distributed into 6 age-groups: 20-25 (G20), 30-35 (G30), 40-45 (G40), 50-55 (G50), 60-65 (G60), and 70-75 years (G70). Participants walked overground under 3 conditions: usual walking, obstacle crossing, and dual-task walking. Changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin in the PFC were recorded using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Gait spatiotemporal parameters were assessed using an electronic walkway. Executive function was assessed through validated tests. Results: Between-group differences on PFC activity were observed for all conditions. Multiple groups (ie, G30, G50, G60, and G70) showed increased PFC activity in at least one of the walking conditions. Young adults (G20 and G30) had the lowest levels of PFC activity while G60 had the highest levels. Only G70 showed reduced executive function and gait impairments (which were more pronounced during obstacle crossing and dual-task walking). PFC activity was related to gait and executive function. Conclusions: Aging causes a gradual increase in PFC activity during walking. This compensatory mechanism may reach the resource ceiling in the 70s, when reduced executive function limits its efficiency and gait impairments are observed.
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
format article
id BR_cdaa5fdfa3b6dc9bc4e41eb7d99e2b21
institution UNESP
instname_str Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)
language eng
network_acronym_str BR
network_name_str Brasil
oai_identifier_str oai:repositorio.unesp.br:11449/202061
publishDate 2020
publishDateSort 2020
reponame_str Repositório Institucional da UNESP
spelling Prefrontal Cortex Activity During Walking: Effects of Aging and Associations With Gait and Executive Function Nóbrega-Sousa, Priscila [UNESP] Gobbi, Lilian Teresa Bucken [UNESP] Orcioli-Silva, Diego [UNESP] Conceição, Núbia Ribeiro da [UNESP] Beretta, Victor Spiandor [UNESP] Vitório, Rodrigo [UNESP] aging dual-tasking fNIRS gait obstacles Background: Declines in gait parameters are common with aging and more pronounced in tasks with increased executive demand. However, the neural correlates of age-related gait impairments are not fully understood yet. Objectives: To investigate (a) the effects of aging on prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity and gait parameters during usual walking, obstacle crossing and dual-task walking and (b) the association between PFC activity and measures of gait and executive function. Methods: Eighty-eight healthy individuals were distributed into 6 age-groups: 20-25 (G20), 30-35 (G30), 40-45 (G40), 50-55 (G50), 60-65 (G60), and 70-75 years (G70). Participants walked overground under 3 conditions: usual walking, obstacle crossing, and dual-task walking. Changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin in the PFC were recorded using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Gait spatiotemporal parameters were assessed using an electronic walkway. Executive function was assessed through validated tests. Results: Between-group differences on PFC activity were observed for all conditions. Multiple groups (ie, G30, G50, G60, and G70) showed increased PFC activity in at least one of the walking conditions. Young adults (G20 and G30) had the lowest levels of PFC activity while G60 had the highest levels. Only G70 showed reduced executive function and gait impairments (which were more pronounced during obstacle crossing and dual-task walking). PFC activity was related to gait and executive function. Conclusions: Aging causes a gradual increase in PFC activity during walking. This compensatory mechanism may reach the resource ceiling in the 70s, when reduced executive function limits its efficiency and gait impairments are observed. São Paulo State University–UNESP, Rio Claro Oregon Health and Science University http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1545968320953824 Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair. 1552-6844 1545-9683 http://hdl.handle.net/11449/202061 10.1177/1545968320953824 2-s2.0-85090065103
spellingShingle Prefrontal Cortex Activity During Walking: Effects of Aging and Associations With Gait and Executive Function
Nóbrega-Sousa, Priscila [UNESP]
aging
dual-tasking
fNIRS
gait
obstacles
status_str publishedVersion
title Prefrontal Cortex Activity During Walking: Effects of Aging and Associations With Gait and Executive Function
title_full Prefrontal Cortex Activity During Walking: Effects of Aging and Associations With Gait and Executive Function
title_fullStr Prefrontal Cortex Activity During Walking: Effects of Aging and Associations With Gait and Executive Function
title_full_unstemmed Prefrontal Cortex Activity During Walking: Effects of Aging and Associations With Gait and Executive Function
title_short Prefrontal Cortex Activity During Walking: Effects of Aging and Associations With Gait and Executive Function
title_sort Prefrontal Cortex Activity During Walking: Effects of Aging and Associations With Gait and Executive Function
topic aging
dual-tasking
fNIRS
gait
obstacles
topic_facet aging
dual-tasking
fNIRS
gait
obstacles
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1545968320953824
http://hdl.handle.net/11449/202061