Gray Matter Regions Associated With Functional Mobility in Community‐Dwelling Older Adults

Background: Recent findings indicate that leisure activity (LA) delays cognitive decline and reduces the risk of dementia. However, the association between LA and brain volume remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the association between LA variety and brain volume with a focus on the hippocampus and gray matter.Methods: Data were obtained from the baseline survey of the Neuron to Environmental Impact across Generations study, which had targeted community-dwelling older adults living in Niigata, Japan. We divided LAs into 10 categories, and counted the number of categories of activities in which the participants engaged. We classified them as follows: 0 (i.e., no activity), 1, 2, or ≥ 3 types. Brain volume was assessed through magnetic resonance imaging, and hippocampal and gray matter volumes were ascertained.Results: The sample size was 482. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that hippocampal and gray matter volumes were significantly greater among participants with ≥ 3 types of LAs than among their no-activity counterparts. Hippocampal volume was significantly greater among those who engaged in one type of LA than among those who engaged in no such activity. Sex-stratified analysis revealed that hippocampal volumes were significantly greater among males who engaged in ≥ 3 types of LAs and one type of LA. However, no such association was found among females.Conclusion: The present findings suggest that engaging in a wide range of LAs is related to hippocampal and gray matter volumes. Furthermore, there was a sex difference in the association between LA variety and brain volume.

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Association of Sleep, Neuropsychological Performance, and Gray Matter Volume With Glymphatic Function in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Neurology ◽

10.1212/wnl.0000000000013215 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 10.1212/WNL.0000000000013215

Author(s):

Tiing Yee Siow ◽

Cheng Hong Toh ◽

Jung-Lung Hsu ◽

Geng-Hao Liu ◽

Shwu-Hua Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Intracranial Volume ◽

Waste Products ◽

Glymphatic System ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Gray Matter Volumes ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

Background and Objectives:The glymphatic system, which is robustly enabled during some stages of sleep, is a fluid-transport pathway that clears cerebral waste products. Most contemporary knowledge regarding glymphatic system is inferred from rodent experiments and human research is limited. The objective of the research is to explore the associations between human glymphatic function, sleep, neuropsychological performances, and cerebral gray matter volumes.Methods:This cross-sectional study included individuals 60 years or older who had participated in the Integrating Systemic Data of Geriatric Medicine to Explore the Solution for Health Aging study between September 2019 and October 2020. Community-dwelling older adults were enrolled at 2 different sites. Participants with dementia, major depressive disorders, and other major organ system abnormalities were excluded. Sleep profile was accessed using questionnaires and polysomnography. Administered neuropsychological test batteries included Everyday Cognition (ECog) and the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease Neuropsychological Battery (CERAD-NB). Gray matter volumes were estimated based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Diffusion tensor imaging-analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) index was used as the MRI marker of glymphatic function.Results:A total of 84 participants (mean [SD] age, 73.3 [7.1] years, 47 [56.0%] women) were analyzed. Multivariate linear regression model determined that age (unstandardized β, -0.0025 [SE, 0.0001]; P = 0.02), N2 sleep duration (unstandardized β, 0.0002 [SE, 0.0001]; P = 0.04), and the apnea-hypopnea index (unstandardized β, -0.0011 [SE, 0.0005]; P = 0.03) were independently associated with DTI-ALPS. Higher DTI-ALPS was associated with better ECog language scores (unstandardized β, -0.59 [SE, 0.28]; P = 0.04) and better CERAD-NB word-list-learning delayed recall subtest scores (unstandardized β, 6.17 [SE, 2.31]; P = 0.009) after co-varying for age and education. Higher DTI-ALPS was also associated with higher gray matter volume (unstandardized β, 107.00 [SE, 43.65]; P = 0.02) after controlling for age, gender, and total intracranial volume.Discussion:Significant associations were identified between glymphatic function and sleep stressing the importance of sleep for brain health. This study also revealed associations between DTI-ALPS, neuropsychological performances, and cerebral gray matter volumes suggesting the potential of DTI-ALPS as a biomarker for cognitive disorders.

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The Effects of a 10-Week Group-Based Exercise Program on Lower Extremity Strength, Balance and Functional Mobility in Community- Dwelling Older Adults: A Pilot Study

International Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation ◽

10.4172/2329-9096.1000150 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 01 (06) ◽

Author(s):

Carol A Maritz Neelam Patel ◽

Lincy Varughese Alexandra Yecco

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Lower Extremity ◽

Exercise Program ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Functional Mobility ◽

Lower Extremity Strength ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

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Towards Using the Instrumented Timed Up-and-Go Test for Screening of Sensory System Performance for Balance Control in Older Adults

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s19030622 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 622 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Thomas Gerhardy ◽

Katharina Gordt ◽

Carl-Philipp Jansen ◽

Michael Schwenk

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

System Performance ◽

Fall Risk ◽

Balance Control ◽

Sensory System ◽

Sensory Systems ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Functional Mobility ◽

Timed Up And Go ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

Background: Decreasing performance of the sensory systems’ for balance control, including the visual, somatosensory and vestibular system, is associated with increased fall risk in older adults. A smartphone-based version of the Timed Up-and-Go (mTUG) may allow screening sensory balance impairments through mTUG subphases. The association between mTUG subphases and sensory system performance is examined. Methods: Functional mobility of forty-one community-dwelling older adults (>55 years) was measured using a validated mTUG. Duration of mTUG and its subphases ‘sit-to-walk’, ‘walking’, ‘turning’, ‘turn-to-sit’ and ‘sit-down’ were extracted. Sensory systems’ performance was quantified by validated posturography during standing (30 s) under different conditions. Visual, somatosensory and vestibular control ratios (CR) were calculated from posturography and correlated with mTUG subphases. Results: Vestibular CR correlated with mTUG total time (r = 0.54; p < 0.01), subphases ‘walking’ (r = 0.56; p < 0.01), and ‘turning’ (r = 0.43; p = 0.01). Somatosensory CR correlated with mTUG total time (r = 0.52; p = 0.01), subphases ‘walking’ (r = 0.52; p < 0.01) and ‘turning’ (r = 0.44; p < 0.01). Conclusions: Supporting the proposed approach, results indicate an association between specific mTUG subphases and sensory system performance. mTUG subphases ‘walking’ and ‘turning’ may allow screening for sensory system deterioration. This is a first step towards an objective, detailed and expeditious balance control assessment, however needing validation in a larger study.

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BALANCE, LOWER EXTREMITY STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY AS PREDICTORS OF FUNCTIONAL MOBILITY IN COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS.

Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy ◽

10.1519/00139143-200124030-00044 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 28

Author(s):

C Y Wang ◽

S Olson ◽

E J Protas ◽

P Gleeson

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Lower Extremity ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Functional Mobility ◽

Lower Extremity Strength ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

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Fall Awareness Behaviour And Its Associated Factors Among Community Dwelling Older Adults

10.21203/rs.3.rs-54230/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

GOH JING WEN ◽

Devinder Kaur Ajit Singh ◽

NORMALA MESBAH ◽

ANIS AFIFA MOHD HANAFI ◽

ADLYN FARHANA AZWAN

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Associated Factors ◽

Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Functional Mobility ◽

Timed Up And Go ◽

Mortality And Morbidity ◽

Falls In Older Adults ◽

Causes Of Mortality ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract Falls are one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity in older adults. However, despite adoption of prevention strategies, the number of falls in older adults has not declined. The aim of this study was to examine fall awareness behaviour and its associated factors. A total of 140 community dwelling older adults (mean age of 70.69±4.3 years) participated in this study. Physical performance was assessed using timed up and go(TUG), gait speed(GS), chair stand and hand grip tests. Fall Awareness Behaviour (FaB) and Fall Risk Assessment Questionnaires (FRAQ) were administered to assess behaviours and fall prevention knowledge respectively. Stepwise linear regression analysis showed that the practice of fall awareness behaviours (R2=.256) was significantly associated with being male [95% C.I: 2.178 to 7.789, p<.001], having lower BMI [95% C.I: -0.692 to -0.135, p<.05], living with family [95% C.I: 0.022 to 5.953, p<.05] and those having higher functional mobility [95% C.I: -2.008 to -0.164, p<.05]. Fall awareness behaviours should be emphasized among older females, those with lower functional mobility, higher BMI and living alone.

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Isometric strength vs. functional mobility and their relationship with risk of falls in community-dwelling older adults: a prospective study

10.21203/rs.2.15392/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Pedro L Valenzuela ◽

Nicola A Maffiuletti ◽

Hugo Saner ◽

Narayan Schütz ◽

Beatrice Rudin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

At Risk ◽

Previous History ◽

Knee Extension ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Functional Mobility ◽

Isometric Strength ◽

Risk Of Falling ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract Background: Falls are a major concern for older adults and their care givers. The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test is extensively used to identify individuals at risk of falling, but less is known about the validity of simple isometric strength measures for this purpose. We aimed to assess the potential of isometric strength measures and the different modalities of the TUG test to detect individuals at risk of falling. Methods: Twenty-four community-dwelling older adults (≥ 65 years, 19 females, 88±7 years) performed three variations of the TUG test (standard, cognitive, motor) and three isometric strength tests (handgrip, knee extension and hip flexion) at baseline and at several time points (every ~6 weeks) during a 13-month follow-up. Linear mixed model analyses were then performed to examine differences between those who sustained ≥1 fall during the follow-up and those who did not. Results: Fallers had a worse performance in all TUG variations and a lower strength in all tests than non-fallers in non-adjusted analyses (p<0.05). However, when adjusting for baseline variables (age, gender, body mass index, and previous history of falls), only differences in handgrip and knee extension isometric strength measures remained significant (p=0.019 and p=0.042, respectively). Isometric strength measures related to changes in TUG performance both at baseline and during the follow-up (p<0.05). Conclusions: Isometric strength measures has potential to serve as a simple tool to detect individuals at risk of falling as compared to functional mobility measures (i.e. TUG test).

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Hyposmia and Neuroimaging Signature in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1709 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 530-530

Author(s):

Cynthia Felix ◽

Lana Chahine ◽

Honglei Chen ◽

Zichun Cao ◽

Caterina Rosano

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽

Diffusion Tensor ◽

Mean Diffusivity ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Intracranial Volume ◽

Total Brain ◽

Identification Test ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract Olfaction declines with aging, and hyposmia, or impaired sense of smell, is associated with neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Neuroimaging studies of hyposmia in AD/PD patients have often examined pathology-specific brain regions. Our knowledge of neural correlates in regions that mediate olfaction in community-dwelling older adults, is limited. We quantified mean diffusivity (MD) of the gray matter (GM) using diffusion tensor imaging in a community-dwelling sample of 308 older adults (mean age: 82.9 years, 58% women, 40% black). We focused on total brain and these regions involved in olfaction- olfactory bulb, amygdala, entorhinal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and hippocampus. Smell was tested with a scratch-and-sniff validated odor identification test, the Brief Smell Identification Test (BSIT). Hyposmia was defined as BSIT score of ≤8, assessed about 7 years prior to neuroimaging. In our sample, 23% had hyposmia, more in in men (30%) than in women (19%). Hyposmia was not significantly associated with cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension; diseases such as stroke; age; race; cognitive or mobility functions (all p>0.1). In linear regression models adjusted for demographics and brain atrophy (total brain gray matter volume divided by intracranial volume), hyposmia was significantly associated with higher GM MD (lower microstructural integrity) of the left orbitofrontal cortex (standardized beta: 0.142, t=2.56, p=0.011). Understanding the neural substrates involved in hyposmia in aging is an important step towards advancing research on hyposmia in non-clinic-based, community-dwelling populations.

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The Gender-Specific Relationship between Nutritional Status, Physical Activity and Functional Mobility in Irish Community-Dwelling Older Adults

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18168427 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (16) ◽

pp. 8427

Author(s):

Maeve Lorraine O’Connell ◽

Tara Coppinger ◽

Seán Lacey ◽

Tijana Arsenic ◽

Aoife Louise McCarthy

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Nutritional Status ◽

Short Form ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Functional Mobility ◽

Activity Level ◽

Specific Relationship ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults ◽

Gender Specific

Research suggests that both nutrition and physical activity can protect mobility in older adults, but it is yet to be determined whether these relationships are affected by gender. Thus, we investigated the gender-specific relationship between nutritional status, physical activity level and functional mobility in Irish older adults. A cross-sectional study was undertaken in 176 community-dwelling older adults (73.6 ± 6.61 years) living in Cork, Ireland. Nutritional status was measured using the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF) and physical activity was assessed via the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE). Functional mobility was measured using the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. The gender-stratified relationship between variables was assessed using Pearson’s correlations and multiple linear regression. Partial correlations (p < 0.05) were observed for TUG with PASE score in both genders, and with MNA-SF score in females, only. Multiple regression showed that physical activity was a predictor of TUG in both genders (β = 0.257 for males, β = 0.209 for females, p < 0.05), while nutritional status was a predictor of TUG in females, only (β = −0.168, p = 0.030). Our results suggest that physical activity is associated with functional mobility in both genders, while the relationship between nutritional status and mobility may be specific to older females. These findings may be of interest for the design of functional preservation strategies.

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Thai dance exercises benefited functional mobility and fall rates among community-dwelling older individuals

Hong Kong Physiotherapy Journal ◽

10.1142/s1013702520500031 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (01) ◽

pp. 19-27 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Chonticha Kaewjoho ◽

Lugkana Mato ◽

Thiwabhorn Thaweewannakij ◽

Saowanee Nakmareong ◽

Supaporn Phadungkit ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Exercise Program ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Functional Mobility ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Fall Rates ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

Background: With dramatic increase in the number of older individuals, special efforts have been made to promote the levels of independence and reduce fall rates among these individuals. Objective: To investigate the effects of Thai dance exercises over 6 weeks on functional mobility and fall rates in community-dwelling older individuals. Methods: Sixty-one community-dwelling older adults were interviewed and assessed for their demographics and fall data during 6 months prior to participation in the study. Then they completed the quasi-experimental Thai dance exercise program for 50 minutes[Formula: see text]day, 3 days[Formula: see text]week over 6 weeks. Their functional mobility relating to levels of independence and safety were assessed prior to training, at 3-week and 6-week training. After completing the program at 6 weeks, participants were prospectively monitored for fall data over 6 months. Results: Participants improved their functional mobility significantly after 3- and 6-week training [Formula: see text]. The number of faller individuals obviously decreased from 35% [Formula: see text] prior to training to only 8% [Formula: see text] after training [Formula: see text]. Conclusion: The current findings further extend benefits of Thai dance as an alternative musical exercise program to promote levels of independence and safety among community-dwelling older adults.

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