Brain activation in high-functioning older adults and falls

Objective:To determine whether brain activity over the prefrontal cortex measured in real time during walking predicts falls in high-functioning older adults.Method:We examined166 older persons (mean age 75 years, 51% women) enrolled in a prospective aging study. High-functioning status defined as the absence of dementia or disability with normal gait diagnosed by study clinicians. The magnitude of task-related changes in oxygenated hemoglobin levels over the prefrontal cortex was measured with functional near-infrared spectroscopy during motor (walking at normal pace) and cognitive (reciting alternate letters of the alphabet) single tasks and a dual-task condition (walking while reciting alternate letters of the alphabet). Incident falls were prospectively assessed over a 50-month study period.Results:Over a mean follow-up of 33.9 ± 11.9 months, 116 falls occurred. Higher levels of prefrontal cortical activation during the dual-task walking condition predicted falls (hazard ratio adjusted for age, sex, education, medical illnesses and general mental status 1.32, 95% confidence interval 1.03–1.70). Neither behavioral outcomes (velocity or letter rate) on the dual task nor brain activation patterns on the single tasks (normal walk or talk alone) predicted falls in this high-functioning sample. The results remained robust after accounting for multiple confounders and for cognitive status, slow gait, previous falls, and frailty.Conclusions:Prefrontal brain activity levels while performing a cognitively demanding walking condition predicted falls in high-functioning seniors. These findings implicate neurobiological processes early in the pathogenesis of falls.

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A-9 Examining Neural Variability during Dual-Task Walking and Cortical Thickness in Older Adults

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1093/arclin/acab062.27 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 36 (6) ◽

pp. 1048-1048

Author(s):

Daliah Ross ◽

Mark E Wagshul ◽

Meltem Izzetoglu ◽

Roee Holtzer

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Cortical Thickness ◽

Dual Task ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Adverse Outcomes ◽

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Single Task ◽

Mobility Impairments ◽

Neural Variability

Abstract Objective Greater intraindividual variability (IIV) in behavioral and cognitive performance is a risk factor for adverse outcomes but research concerning IIV in neural signal is scarce. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we showed that IIV in oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2) levels in the prefrontal cortex increased from single task (Single-Task-Walk–STW; Single-Task-Alpha–STA) to Dual-Task-Walk (DTW) conditions in older adults. Herein, we predicted that, consistent with the neural inefficiency hypothesis, reduced cortical thickness would be associated with greater increases in IIV in fNIRS-derived HbO2 from single tasks to DTW when adjusting for behavioral performance. Method Participants were right-handed older adults without dementia recruited from the community (N = 55; M(SD) age = 74.84(4.97); %female = 49.1). Neuroimaging included fNIRS for HbO2 levels in the prefrontal cortex during tasks and MRI for cortical thickness. IIV was operationalized using the SD of fNIRS-derived HbO2 observations assessed during a 30-s interval in each experimental condition. Results Moderation analyses, assessed through linear mixed effects models, revealed that in several frontal (p < 0.02), parietal (p < 0.02), temporal (p < 0.01), and occipital (p < 0.01) regions, thinner cortex was associated with greater increases in HbO2 IIV from the single tasks to DTW. Conclusion Reduced cortical thickness was associated with inefficient increases in IIV in fNIRS-derived HbO2 from single tasks to dual-task walking. Worse IIV in gait performance under DTW predicts adverse mobility outcomes. Reduced cortical thickness and worse IIV of fNIRS-derived HbO2 during DTW are possible brain mechanisms that explain the risk of developing mobility impairments in aging and disease populations.

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Interpersonal Synchrony Special Issue The role of anterior prefrontal cortex (area 10) in face-to-face deception measured with fNIRS

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience ◽

10.1093/scan/nsaa086 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Paola Pinti ◽

Andrea Devoto ◽

Isobel Greenhalgh ◽

Ilias Tachtsidis ◽

Paul W Burgess ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Lie Detection ◽

Brain Activation ◽

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Face To Face ◽

Interpersonal Synchrony ◽

Anterior Prefrontal Cortex

Abstract Anterior prefrontal cortex (PFC, Brodmann area 10) activations are often, but not always, found in neuroimaging studies investigating deception, and the precise role of this area remains unclear. To explore the role of the PFC in face-to-face deception, we invited pairs of participants to play a card game involving lying and lie detection while we used functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to record brain activity in the PFC. Participants could win points for successfully lying about the value of their cards or for detecting lies. We contrasted patterns of brain activation when the participants either told the truth or lied, when they were either forced into this or did so voluntarily and when they either succeeded or failed to detect a lie. Activation in the anterior PFC was found in both lie production and detection, unrelated to reward. Analysis of cross-brain activation patterns between participants identified areas of the PFC where the lead player’s brain activity synchronized their partner’s later brain activity. These results suggest that during situations that involve close interpersonal interaction, the anterior PFC supports processing widely involved in deception, possibly relating to the demands of monitoring one’s own and other people’s behaviour.

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Modifications in Prefrontal Cortex Oxygenation in Linear and Curvilinear Dual Task Walking: A Combined fNIRS and IMUs Study

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21186159 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (18) ◽

pp. 6159

Author(s):

Valeria Belluscio ◽

Gabriele Casti ◽

Marco Ferrari ◽

Valentina Quaresima ◽

Maria Sofia Sappia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Dual Task ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Real Life ◽

Motor Task ◽

Hemoglobin Concentration ◽

Cortical Activation ◽

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Gait Quality

Increased oxygenated hemoglobin concentration of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been observed during linear walking, particularly when there is a high attention demand on the task, like in dual-task (DT) paradigms. Despite the knowledge that cognitive and motor demands depend on the complexity of the motor task, most studies have only focused on usual walking, while little is known for more challenging tasks, such as curved paths. To explore the relationship between cortical activation and gait biomechanics, 20 healthy young adults were asked to perform linear and curvilinear walking trajectories in single-task and DT conditions. PFC activation was assessed using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, while gait quality with four inertial measurement units. The Figure-of-8-Walk-Test was adopted as the curvilinear trajectory, with the “Serial 7s” test as concurrent cognitive task. Results show that walking along curvilinear trajectories in DT led to increased PFC activation and decreased motor performance. Under DT walking, the neural correlates of executive function and gait control tend to be modified in response to the cognitive resources imposed by the motor task. Being more representative of real-life situations, this approach to curved walking has the potential to reveal crucial information and to improve people’ s balance, safety, and life’s quality.

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36 Altered Prefrontal Cortex Responses in Older Adults with Subjective Memory Complaints and Dementia During Dual-Task Gait: An Fnirs Study

Age and Ageing ◽

10.1093/ageing/afz164.36 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 48 (Supplement_4) ◽

pp. iv9-iv12

Author(s):

Wei-Peng Teo ◽

Timo Rantalainen ◽

Helen Macpherson

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Dual Task ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Single Channel ◽

Subjective Memory Complaints ◽

Medical Systems ◽

Subjective Memory ◽

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Memory Complaints

Abstract In this study, we investigated the effects of walking during single-task and dual-task gait (STG and DTG) conditions, on left prefrontal cortex (LPFC) activation in older adults with subjective memory complaints (SMC) and Dementia. A total of 72 older adults (aged 65-94 yrs; 33 Healthy; 28 SMC; 11 Dementia) were recruited from the community and assisted living facilities. A portable 7m zeno walkway gait analysis mat was used to measure stride, velocity, length and duration during 4 passes of STG and DTG each. A portable single-channel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) device (Portalite, Artinis Medical Systems) was placed over the LPFC to measure changes in oxyhaemoglobin response (O2Hb) during STG and DTG. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with bonferroni post-hoc t-test for multiple comparisons was used to determine differences between groups. Our results showed that stride velocity, duration and length during STG (all p<0.05) and DTG (all p<0.000) were significantly impaired in the Dementia group compared to Healthy and SMC groups, while no significant differences were observed between Healthy and SMC groups. For STG, a greater increase in O2Hb (p<0.05) was observed in the Dementia group compared to the Healthy and SMC groups, while no differences were observed between Healthy and SMC. However, a significant increase and decline in O2Hb was observed during DTG in the SMC and Dementia groups respectively, compared to Healthy. Our findings indicate an altered pattern of cerebral haemodynamic response of the PFC in people with SMC and Dementia that may be indicative of cognitive demands of gait. Our findings may have implications for the use of DTG and fNIRS as a potential early biomarker for cognitive declines in older adults.

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High Intensity Intermittent Exercise Plays a Role in Improving Brain Activation During Complex Executive Functional Tasks

Teorìâ ta Metodika Fìzičnogo Vihovannâ ◽

10.17309/tmfv.2021.1.05 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 36-42

Author(s):

Shweta Shenoy ◽

Prachi Khandekar ◽

Abhinav Sathe

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

High Intensity ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Intermittent Exercise ◽

Brain Activation ◽

Cognitive Testing ◽

Cortical Activation ◽

Control Group ◽

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Significant Difference

Several neuroimaging studies have examined the effect of different types and combinations of exercises on activation of brain associated with cognitive testing but none of these studies have examined the role of high intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) in altering cortical activation from simple to complex cognitive tasks. The purpose of this study was to find if HIIE has a role in modulating executive functions related to inhibitory control as expressed by changes in prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation. Materials and methods. 40 healthy adults aged between 18-30 years volunteered for the study. They were randomly divided into HIIE a (n = 20) group and a control (n = 20) group. The HIIE group performed 4*4 min of high intensity exercise on a cycle ergometer with 3 minutes of active recovery at lower intensities between the bouts, whereas the control group performed no exercise. Prefrontal hemodynamics (oxy and deoxy haemoglobin) were assessed using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during the Colour Word Stroop test (CWST) on two sessions: pre-session and post-session (1 week after pre-session). Results. The results indicate a significant difference in CWST scores which coincided with a significant difference in hemodynamics of PFC between a congruent and a complex incongruent task in the HIIE group. There was a greater activation of the right frontopolar area, the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, and the left frontopolar area during the incongruent task in response to acute HIIE. Conclusion. HIIE plays a role in changing brain activation during more complex interference related tasks.

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Cognitive Reserve Moderates the Efficiency of Prefrontal Cortex Activation Patterns of Gait in Older Adults

The Journals of Gerontology Series A ◽

10.1093/gerona/glab288 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Roee Holtzer ◽

Daliah Ross ◽

Catherine O’Brien ◽

Meltem Izzetoglu ◽

Mark E Wagshul

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Dual Task ◽

Cognitive Functions ◽

Cognitive Reserve ◽

Word Reading ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Activation Patterns ◽

Single Task

Abstract Background Cognitive Reserve (CR) protects against cognitive decline, but whether CR influences the efficiency of cortical control of gait has not been reported. The current study addressed this important gap in the literature. Specifically, we determined the role of CR in moderating the efficiency of functional Near-Infrared-Spectroscopy (fNIRS)-derived HbO2 in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) assessed during active walking. We hypothesized that higher CR would be associated with more efficient brain activation patterns. Methods Participants were 55 (mean age=74.84; %female=49.1) older adults who underwent the combined walking/fNIRS protocol and had MRI data. We used an established dual-task walking paradigm that consisted of three task conditions: Single-Task-Walk (STW), Single-Task-Alpha (STA, cognitive task) and Dual-Task-Walk (DTW). Using the residuals approach, CR was derived from a word-reading test score by removing variance accounted for by socio-demographic variables, tests of current cognitive functions and a measure of structural brain integrity. Results CR moderated the change in fNIRS-derived HbO2 in the PFC across tasks. Higher CR was associated with smaller increases in fNIRS-derived HbO2 from the single tasks to dual task walking (CR x DTW compared to STW: estimate = .183; p < .001; CR x DTW compared to STA: estimate =.257; p < .001). The moderation effect of CR remained significant when adjusting for multiple covariates and concurrent moderation effects of measures of gait performance, current cognitive functions and structural integrity of the brain. Conclusion The current study provided first evidence that higher CR was associated with better neural efficiency of walking in older adults.

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Brain Activation Changes During Balance- and Attention-Demanding Tasks in Middle- and Older-Aged Adults With Multiple Sclerosis

Motor Control ◽

10.1123/mc.2018-0044 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 23 (4) ◽

pp. 498-517 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Manuel E. Hernandez ◽

Erin O’Donnell ◽

Gioella Chaparro ◽

Roee Holtzer ◽

Meltem Izzetoglu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Older Adults ◽

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Motor Task ◽

Brain Activation ◽

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Healthy Older Adults

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy was used to evaluate prefrontal cortex activation differences between older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy older adults (HOA) during the performance of a balance- and attention-demanding motor task. Ten older adults with MS and 12 HOA underwent functional near-infrared spectroscopy recording while talking, virtual beam walking, or virtual beam walking while talking on a self-paced treadmill. The MS group demonstrated smaller increases in prefrontal cortex oxygenation levels than HOA during virtual beam walking while talking than talking tasks. These findings indicate a decreased ability to allocate additional attentional resources in challenging walking conditions among MS compared with HOA. This study is the first to investigate brain activation dynamics during the performance of balance- and attention-demanding motor tasks in persons with MS.

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The Effects of Perceived Pain in the Past Month on Prefrontal Cortex Activation Patterns Assessed During Cognitive and Motor Performances in Older Adults

Pain Medicine ◽

10.1093/pm/pnaa404 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hannah Pakray ◽

Elizabeth Seng ◽

Meltem Izzetoglu ◽

Roee Holtzer

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Dual Task ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Pain Severity ◽

Gait Velocity ◽

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Healthy Older Adults ◽

Perceived Pain ◽

Subjective Pain

Abstract Objective Pain is prevalent and functionally impactful in older adults. The prefrontal cortex is involved in pain perception, attentional control, and cortical control of locomotion. Although pain is a known moderator of attentional capacity, its moderating effect on cortical control of locomotion has not been assessed. This study aimed to examine the effects of subjective pain on changes in functional near-infrared spectroscopy–derived measurements of oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2), gait velocity, and cognitive accuracy from single- to dual-task walking conditions among older adults. Subjects The sample consisted of 383 healthy older adults (55% female). Methods Participants completed two single tasks (Single-Task-Walk [STW] and Cognitive Interference [Alpha]) and the Dual-Task-Walk (DTW), during which participants performed the two single tasks simultaneously. The Medical Outcomes Study Pain Severity Scale and Pain Effects Scale were used to assess pain severity and interference. ProtoKinetics Movement Analysis Software was used to assess gait velocity and rate of correct letter generation to assess cognitive accuracy. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to assess HbO2 during active walking. Results Linear mixed-effects models revealed that HbO2 increased from single- to dual-task conditions. Perceived pain presence was associated with an attenuated increase in HbO2 from Alpha to DTW. Among those with pain, worse pain severity was associated with an attenuated increase in HbO2 from STW to DTW. Pain interference did not moderate the increase in HbO2 from single to dual tasks. Pain did not have a moderating effect on behavioral outcomes. Conclusions Task-related changes in the hemodynamic response in the prefrontal cortex during walking may be a sensitive marker of the effects of subjective pain on brain function in healthy older adults.

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Making social neuroscience less WEIRD: Using fNIRS to measure neural signatures of persuasive influence in a Middle East participant sample

10.31234/osf.io/3ah8v ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Shannon Burns ◽

Lianne N. Barnes ◽

Ian A. McCulloh ◽

Munqith M. Dagher ◽

Emily B. Falk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Social Neuroscience ◽

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Future Directions ◽

Neuroscience Research ◽

Neuropsychological Functions ◽

Arabic Speaking

The large majority of social neuroscience research uses WEIRD populations – participants from Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic locations. This makes it difficult to claim whether neuropsychological functions are universal or culture specific. In this study, we demonstrate one approach to addressing the imbalance by using portable neuroscience equipment in a study of persuasion conducted in Jordan with an Arabic-speaking sample. Participants were shown persuasive videos on various health and safety topics while their brain activity was measured using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Self-reported persuasiveness ratings for each video were then recorded. Consistent with previous research conducted with American subjects, this work found that activity in the dorsomedial and ventromedial prefrontal cortex predicted how persuasive participants found the videos and how much they intended to engage in the messages’ endorsed behaviors. Further, activity in the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex was associated with persuasiveness ratings, but only in participants for whom the message was personally relevant. Implications for these results on the understanding of the brain basis of persuasion and on future directions for neuroimaging in diverse populations are discussed.

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Comparison of Activation in the Prefrontal Cortex of Native Speakers of Mandarin by Ability of Japanese as a Second Language Using a Novel Speaking Task

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare9040412 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 412

Author(s):

Li Cong ◽

Hideki Miyaguchi ◽

Chinami Ishizuki

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Cognitive Load ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Brain Activation ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Strong Inhibition ◽

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

High Level

Evidence shows that second language (L2) learning affects cognitive function. Here in this work, we compared brain activation in native speakers of Mandarin (L1) who speak Japanese (L2) between and within two groups (high and low L2 ability) to determine the effect of L2 ability in L1 and L2 speaking tasks, and to map brain regions involved in both tasks. The brain activation during task performance was determined using prefrontal cortex blood flow as a proxy, measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). People with low L2 ability showed much more brain activation when speaking L2 than when speaking L1. People with high L2 ability showed high-level brain activation when speaking either L2 or L1. Almost the same high-level brain activation was observed in both ability groups when speaking L2. The high level of activation in people with high L2 ability when speaking either L2 or L1 suggested strong inhibition of the non-spoken language. A wider area of brain activation in people with low compared with high L2 ability when speaking L2 is considered to be attributed to the cognitive load involved in code-switching L1 to L2 with strong inhibition of L1 and the cognitive load involved in using L2.

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