Transfer of ballistic motor skill between bilateral and unilateral contexts in young and older adults: neural adaptations and behavioral implications

2013 ◽  
Vol 109 (12) ◽  
pp. 2963-2971 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark R. Hinder ◽  
Timothy J. Carroll ◽  
Jeffery J. Summers
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Intracortical Inhibition ◽  
Corticospinal Excitability ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Ballistic Performance ◽  
Performance Improvements ◽  
Bimanual Movements ◽  
Bilateral Training

Bilateral movement rehabilitation is gaining popularity as an approach to improve the recovery not only of bimanual function but also of unilateral motor tasks. While the neural mechanisms mediating the transfer of bilateral training gains into unimanual contexts are not fully understood, converging evidence from behavioral, neurophysiological, and imaging studies suggests that bimanual movements are not simply the superposition of unimanual tasks undertaken with both (upper) limbs. Here we investigated the neural responses in both hemispheres to bilateral ballistic motor training and the extent to which performance improvements transferred to a unimanual task. Since aging influences interhemispheric interactions during movement production, both young ( n = 9; mean age 19.4 yr; 6 women, 3 men) and older ( n = 9; 66.3 yr; 7 women, 2 men) adults practiced a bilateral motor task requiring simultaneous “fast-as-possible” abductions of their left and right index fingers. Changes in bilateral and unilateral performance, and in corticospinal excitability and intracortical inhibition, were assessed. Strong transfer was observed between bimanual and unimanual contexts for both age groups. However, in contrast to previous reports of substantial bilateral cortical adaptations following unilateral training, increases in corticospinal excitability following bilateral training were not statistically reliable, and a release of intracortical inhibition was only observed for older adults. The results indicate that the neural mechanisms of motor learning for bilateral ballistic tasks differ from those that underlie unimanual ballistic performance improvement but that aging results in a greater overlap of the neural mechanisms mediating bilateral and unilateral ballistic motor performance.

scholarly journals Developmental differences across the lifespan in the use of perceptual information to guide action-based decisions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Stafford ◽  
Matthew Rodger ◽  
Luis I. Gómez-Jordana ◽  
Caroline Whyatt ◽  
Cathy M. Craig
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Strong Predictor ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Perceptual Information ◽  
Unified Framework ◽  
Age Related ◽  
And Control ◽  
Road Crossing ◽  
Action Initiation

AbstractPerceptual information about unfolding events is important for guiding decisions about when and how to move in real-world action situations. As an exemplary case, road-crossing is a perceptual-motor task where age has been shown to be a strong predictor of risk due to errors in action-based decisions. The present study investigated age differences between three age groups (Children: 10–12 years old; Adults: 19–39 years old; Older Adults: 65 + year olds) in the use of perceptual information for selection, timing, and control of action when crossing a two-way street in an immersive, interactive virtual reality environment. Adults and children selected gaps to cross that were consistent with the use of a time-based information variable (tau), whereas older adults tuned less into the time-based variable (tau) to guide road-crossing decisions. For action initiation and control, children and adults also showed a strong ability to precisely time their entry with respect to the lead vehicle maximising the available time to cross and coordinating walking movements with the tail vehicle to ensure they were not on a collision course. In contrast, older adults delayed action initiation and showed difficulty coordinating self-movement with the approaching vehicle. This study and its results tie together age-based differences in the three components of action decision-making (selection, timing and control) within a unified framework based on perceptual information. The implications of these age-related differences in action decisions and crossing behaviours are discussed in the context of road safety.

scholarly journals “Effect of Secondary Cognitive and Motor Tasks on Selected Gait Parameters in Different Age Groups”

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (06) ◽  
pp. 5437-5441
Author(s):  
Raee Saeed Alqhtani ◽  
Adel Alshahrani ◽  
Mohammed Abdul Rahman Jarrar ◽  
Reyaz Ahmed ◽  
Hashim Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Mean Difference ◽  
Repeated Measure ◽  
Automatic Process ◽  
Motor Tasks ◽  
Gait Parameters

Since walking is a dynamic activity which is an automatic process and attention demanding task. Dual task while walking may cause changes in gait, therefore this study primarily aims to identify whether a secondary cognitive or motor task would have a greater effect on gait parameters in different age groups. Secondarily, it aims to examine difference in gait performance between young and older adults while performing cognitive and motor tasks. Student’s t- test and Repeated measure analysis of variance was used for Statistical analyses. Older group had significantly higher gait time (mean difference: 2.61,3.86, and 6.37seconds), lower stride length (mean difference: 0.26, 0.25, and 0.28 cm), and higher step width (mean difference: 1.46,1.85, and 3.13cm) during simple walking task, motor task and cognitive task while walking, respectively as compared to young adults.This study concludes that the secondary cognitive task has affect the selected gait parameters more in young and older adults as compared to secondary motor task. Additionally, dual task performance has shown difference between gait of young and older adults    

Unilateral practice of a ballistic movement causes bilateral increases in performance and corticospinal excitability

2008 ◽  
Vol 104 (6) ◽  
pp. 1656-1664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Carroll ◽  
Michael Lee ◽  
Marlene Hsu ◽  
Janel Sayde
Keyword(s):  
Performance Testing ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
Corticospinal Excitability ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Ballistic Performance ◽  
Opposite Hemisphere ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Performance Improvements ◽  
Right Hand ◽  
The Right

It has long been known that practicing a task with one limb can result in performance improvements with the opposite, untrained limb. Hypotheses to account for cross-limb transfer of performance state that the effect is mediated either by neural adaptations in higher order control centers that are accessible to both limbs, or that there is a “spillover” of neural drive to the opposite hemisphere that results in bilateral adaptation. Here we address these hypotheses by assessing performance and corticospinal excitability in both hands after unilateral practice of a ballistic finger movement. Participants ( n = 9) completed 300 practice trials of a ballistic task with the right hand, the aim of which was to maximize the peak abduction acceleration of the index finger. Practice caused a 140% improvement in right-hand performance and an 82% improvement for the untrained left hand. There were bilateral increases in the amplitude of responses to transcranial magnetic stimulation, but increased corticospinal excitability was not correlated with improved performance. There were no significant changes in corticospinal excitability or task performance for a control group that did not train ( n = 9), indicating that performance testing for the left hand alone did not induce performance or corticospinal effects. Although the data do not provide conclusive evidence whether increased corticospinal excitability in the untrained hand is causally related to the cross-transfer of ballistic performance, the finding that ballistic practice can induce bilateral corticospinal adaptations may have important clinical implications for movement rehabilitation.

scholarly journals Neural mechanisms supporting emotional and self-referential information processing and encoding in older and younger adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 405-421
Author(s):  
Ryan T Daley ◽  
Holly J Bowen ◽  
Eric C Fields ◽  
Katelyn R Parisi ◽  
Angela Gutchess ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Adult Lifespan ◽  
Neutral Information ◽  
Referential Processing ◽  
Two Age Groups

Abstract Emotion and self-referential information can both enhance memory, but whether they do so via common mechanisms across the adult lifespan remains underexplored. To address this gap, the current study directly compared, within the same fMRI paradigm, the encoding of emotionally salient and self-referential information in older adults and younger adults. Behavioral results replicated the typical patterns of better memory for emotional than neutral information and for self-referential than non-self-referential materials; these memory enhancements were present for younger and older adults. In neural activity, young and older adults showed similar modulation by emotion, but there were substantial age differences in the way self-referential processing affected neural recruitment. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found little evidence for overlap in the neural mechanisms engaged for emotional and self-referential processing. These results reveal that—just as in cognitive domains—older adults can show similar performance to younger adults in socioemotional domains even though the two age groups engage distinct neural mechanisms. These findings demonstrate the need for future research delving into the neural mechanisms supporting older adults’ memory benefits for socioemotional material.

scholarly journals Neural mechanisms supporting emotional and self-relevant information processing and encoding in older and younger adults

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan T Daley ◽  
Holly J Bowen ◽  
Eric C Fields ◽  
Katelyn Parisi ◽  
Angela Gutchess ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Adult Lifespan ◽  
Neutral Information ◽  
Referential Processing

Emotion and self-referential processing can both enhance memory, but whether they do so via common mechanisms across the adult lifespan remains underexplored. To fill this gap, the current study directly compared, within the same fMRI paradigm, the encoding of emotionally salient and self-referential information in older adults and younger adults. Behavioral results replicated the typical patterns of better memory for emotional than neutral information and for self-referential than non-self-referential materials; these memory enhancements were present for younger and older adults. In neural activity, young and older adults showed similar modulation by emotion, but there were substantial age differences in the way self-referential processing affected neural recruitment. Contrary to our hypothesis, we also found little evidence for overlap in the neural mechanisms engaged for emotional and self-referential processing. These results reveal that – just as in cognitive domains – older adults can show similar performance to younger adults in socioemotional domains even though the two age groups engage distinct mechanisms. These findings demonstrate the need for future research that delves into the neural mechanisms supporting older adults’ memory benefits for socioemotional material.

scholarly journals Neurophysiological correlates of aging-related muscle weakness

2013 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 2563-2573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ela B. Plow ◽  
David A. Cunningham ◽  
Corin Bonnett ◽  
Dina Gohar ◽  
Mehmed Bayram ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Muscle Weakness ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Biceps Brachii ◽  
Short Interval ◽  
Intracortical Inhibition ◽  
Corticospinal Excitability ◽  
Voluntary Activation ◽  
Interhemispheric Inhibition

Muscle weakness associated with aging implicates central neural degeneration. However, role of the primary motor cortex (M1) is poorly understood, despite evidence that gains in strength in younger adults are associated with its adaptations. We investigated whether weakness of biceps brachii in aging analogously relates to processes in M1. We enrolled 20 young (22.6 ± 0.87 yr) and 28 old (74.79 ± 1.37 yr) right-handed participants. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation, representation of biceps in M1 was identified. We examined the effect of age and sex on strength of left elbow flexion, voluntary activation of biceps, corticospinal excitability and output, and short-interval intracortical and interhemispheric inhibition. Interhemispheric inhibition was significantly exaggerated in the old ( P = 0.047), while strength tended to be lower ( P = 0.075). Overall, women were weaker ( P < 0.001). Processes of M1 related to strength or voluntary activation of biceps, but only in older adults. Corticospinal excitability was lower in weaker individuals ( r = 0.38), and corticospinal output, intracortical inhibition and interhemispheric inhibition were reduced too in individuals who poorly activated biceps ( r = 0.43, 0.54 and 0.38). Lower intracortical inhibition may reflect compensation for reduced corticospinal excitability, allowing weaker older adults to spread activity in M1 to recruit synergists and attempt to sustain motor output. Exaggerated interhemispheric inhibition, however, conflicts with previous evidence, potentially related to greater callosal damage in our older sample, our choice of proximal vs. distal muscle and differing influence of measurement of inhibition in rest vs. active states of muscle. Overall, age-specific relation of M1 to strength and muscle activation emphasizes that its adaptations only emerge when necessitated, as in a weakening neuromuscular system in aging.

Absence of cross-limb transfer of performance gains following ballistic motor practice in older adults

2011 ◽  
Vol 110 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark R. Hinder ◽  
Matthew W. Schmidt ◽  
Michael I. Garry ◽  
Timothy J. Carroll ◽  
Jeffery J. Summers
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Intracortical Inhibition ◽  
Young Group ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Performance Improvements ◽  
Rehabilitation Programs ◽  
Right Hand ◽  
Motor Practice ◽  
The Right ◽  
Performance Gains

The phenomenon of cross-limb transfer, in which unilateral strength training can result in bilateral strength gains, has recently been tested for ballistic movements. Performance gains associated with repetitive motor practice, and the associated transfer, occur within a few minutes. In this study, young and older adults were trained to perform ballistic abductions of their dominant (right) index finger as quickly as possible. Performance was assessed bilaterally before, during, and after this training. Both groups exhibited large performance gains in the right hand as a result of training ( P < 0.001; young 84% improvement, older 70% improvement), which were not significantly different between groups ( P = 0.40). Transcranial magnetic stimulation revealed that the performance improvements were accompanied by increases in excitability, together with decreases in intracortical inhibition, of the projections to both the trained muscle and the homologous muscle in the contralateral limb ( P < 0.05). The young group also exhibited performance improvements as a result of cross-limb transfer in the left (untrained) hand ( P < 0.005), equivalent to 75% of the performance increase in the trained hand. In contrast, there were no significant performance gains in the left hand for the older group ( P = 0.23). This was surprising given that the older group exhibited a significantly greater degree of mirror activity than the young group ( P < 0.01) in the left first dorsal interosseus muscle (FDI) during right hand movements. Our findings suggest that older adults exhibit a reduced capacity for cross-limb transfer, which may have implications for motor rehabilitation programs after stroke.

scholarly journals Effects of Aging on the Neural Mechanisms Underlying the Recollection of Memories Encoded by Social Interactions With Persons in the Same and Different Age Groups

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eri Tsuruha ◽  
Takashi Tsukiura
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Age Group ◽  
New Words ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
Age Dependent ◽  
Successful Retrieval ◽  
Effects Of Aging ◽  
Posterior Superior Temporal Sulcus

Memories related to ingroup members are remembered more accurately than those related to outgroup members. However, little is known about the age-dependent differences in neural mechanisms underlying the retrieval of memories shared with ingroup or outgroup members that are categorized by age-group membership. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study investigated this issue. Healthy young and older adults participated in a 2-day experiment. On the first day outside fMRI, participants were presented with words by unfamiliar persons in movie clips and exchanged each word with persons belonging to the same age group (SAG) or different age group (DAG). On the second day during fMRI, participants were randomly presented with learned and new words one by one, and they judged whether each word had been encoded with either SAG or DAG members or neither. fMRI results demonstrated that an age-dependent decrease in successful retrieval activation of memories presented by DAG was identified in the anterior temporal lobe (ATL) and hippocampus, whereas with memories presented by SAG, an age-dependent decrease in activation was not found in any regions. In addition, an age-dependent decrease in functional connectivity was significant between the hippocampus/ATL and posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) during the successful retrieval of memories encoded with the DAG people. The “other”-related mechanisms including the hippocampus, ATL, and pSTS with memories learned with the outgroup members could decrease in older adults, whereas with memories learned with the ingroup members, the “self”-related mechanisms could be relatively preserved in older adults.

scholarly journals Age-related Differences in Corticomotor Excitability and Inhibitory Processes during a Visuomotor RT Task

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 1253-1263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hakuei Fujiyama ◽  
Mark R. Hinder ◽  
Matthew W. Schmidt ◽  
Christophe Tandonnet ◽  
Michael I. Garry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Short Interval ◽  
Motor Evoked Potential ◽  
Intracortical Inhibition ◽  
Corticospinal Excitability ◽  
Response Preparation ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Inhibitory Processes ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Right

This study tested the postulation that change in the ability to modulate corticospinal excitability and inhibitory processes underlie age-related differences in response preparation and generation during tasks requiring either rapid execution of a motor action or actively withholding that same action. Younger (n = 13, mean age = 26.0 years) and older adults (n = 13, mean age = 65.5 years) performed an RT task in which a warning signal (WS) was followed by an imperative signal (IS) to which participants were required to respond with a rapid flexion of the right thumb (go condition) or withhold their response (no-go condition). We explored the neural correlates of response preparation, generation, and inhibition using single- and paired-pulse TMS, which was administered at various times between WS and IS (response preparation phase) and between IS and onset of response-related muscle activity in the right thumb (response generation phase). Both groups exhibited increases in motor-evoked potential amplitudes (relative to WS onset) during response generation; however, this increase began earlier and was more pronounced for the younger adults in the go condition. Moreover, younger adults showed a general decrease in short-interval intracortical inhibition during response preparation in both the go and no-go conditions, which was not observed in older adults. Importantly, correlation analysis suggested that for older adults the task-related increases of corticospinal excitability and intracortical inhibition were associated with faster RT. We propose that the declined ability to functionally modulate corticospinal activity with advancing age may underlie response slowing in older adults.

Cognitive Load Affects Speech Motor Performance Differently in Older and Younger Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1258-1277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan K. MacPherson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Incongruent Condition ◽  
Sentence Production ◽  
Movement Duration ◽  
Production Task ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Speech Motor

PurposeThe aim of this study was to determine the impact of cognitive load imposed by a speech production task on the speech motor performance of healthy older and younger adults. Response inhibition, selective attention, and working memory were the primary cognitive processes of interest.MethodTwelve healthy older and 12 healthy younger adults produced multiple repetitions of 4 sentences containing an embedded Stroop task in 2 cognitive load conditions: congruent and incongruent. The incongruent condition, which required participants to suppress orthographic information to say the font colors in which color words were written, represented an increase in cognitive load relative to the congruent condition in which word text and font color matched. Kinematic measures of articulatory coordination variability and movement duration as well as a behavioral measure of sentence production accuracy were compared between groups and conditions and across 3 sentence segments (pre-, during-, and post-Stroop).ResultsIncreased cognitive load in the incongruent condition was associated with increased articulatory coordination variability and movement duration, compared to the congruent Stroop condition, for both age groups. Overall, the effect of increased cognitive load was greater for older adults than younger adults and was greatest in the portion of the sentence in which cognitive load was manipulated (during-Stroop), followed by the pre-Stroop segment. Sentence production accuracy was reduced for older adults in the incongruent condition.ConclusionsIncreased cognitive load involving response inhibition, selective attention, and working memory processes within a speech production task disrupted both the stability and timing with which speech was produced by both age groups. Older adults' speech motor performance may have been more affected due to age-related changes in cognitive and motoric functions that result in altered motor cognition.

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