Age-related changes in prefrontal activity during walking in dual-task situations: A fNIRS study

作者：Beurskens Rainer^*; Helmich Ingo; Rein Robert; Bock Otmar

来源：International Journal of Psychophysiology, 2014, 92(3): 122-128.

DOI：10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2014.03.005

• fNIRS
• Aging
• Locomotion
• Neural activation
• Executive function
• Dual-task walking

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. %26lt;br%26gt;Methods: Using functional Near-Infrared-Spectroscopy (fNIRS) we investigate the frontocortical hemodynamic correlates of dual-task walking in two conditions. 15 young and 10 older individuals walked on a treadmill while completing concurrent tasks that had either visual (checking) or verbal-memory (alphabet recall) demands. We compared subjects%26apos; motor performance, as well as their prefrontal activity in single- and dual-task walking. %26lt;br%26gt;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. %26lt;br%26gt;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.

• 出版日期2014-6