scholarly journals Acute Effects of a Perturbation-Based Balance Training on Cognitive Performance in Healthy Older Adults: A Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dario Martelli ◽  
Jiyeon Kang ◽  
Federica Aprigliano ◽  
Ursula M. Staudinger ◽  
Sunil K. Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Center Of Mass ◽  
Balance Training ◽  
Heel Strike ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Information Processing Speed ◽  
Comparable Amount ◽  
Gait Stability ◽  
Healthy Older Adults

Aging is accompanied by an alteration in the capacity to ambulate, react to external balance perturbations, and resolve cognitive tasks. Perturbation-based balance training has been used to induce adaptations of gait stability and reduce fall risk. The compensatory reactions generated in response to external perturbations depend on the activation of specific neural structures. This suggests that training balance recovery reactions should show acute cognitive training effects. This study aims to investigate whether exposure to repeated balance perturbations while walking can produce acute aftereffects that improve proactive and reactive strategies to control gait stability and cognitive performance in healthy older adults. It is expected that an adaptation of the recovery reactions would be associated with increased selective attention and information processing speed. Twenty-eight healthy older adults were assigned to either an Experimental (EG) or a Control Group (CG). The protocol was divided in 2 days. During the first visit, all participants completed the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) and the Trail Making Test (TMT). During the second visit, a cable-driven robot was used to apply waist-pull perturbations while walking on a treadmill. The EG was trained with multidirectional perturbations of increasing intensity. The CG walked for a comparable amount of time with cables on, but without experiencing perturbations. Before and after the training, all participants were exposed to diagonal waist-pull perturbations. Changes in gait stability were evaluated by comparing the distance between the heel of the leading leg and the extrapolated Center of Mass (Heel-XCoM Distance—HXD) at perturbation onset (PON) and first compensatory heel strike (CHS). Finally, the cables were removed, and participants completed the SDMT and the TMT again. Results showed that only the EG adapted the gait stability (p < 0.001) in reaction to diagonal perturbations and showed improved performance in the SDMT (p < 0.001). This study provides the first evidence that a single session of perturbation-based balance training produce acute aftereffects in terms of increased cognitive performance and gait stability in healthy older adults. Future studies will include measures of functional activation of the cerebral cortex and examine whether a multi-session training will demonstrate chronic effects.

scholarly journals Effect of Mental Fatigue on Postural Sway in Healthy Older Adults and Stroke Populations

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 388
Author(s):  
Gonzalo Varas-Diaz ◽  
Lakshmi Kannan ◽  
Tanvi Bhatt
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Inertial Sensors ◽  
Postural Sway ◽  
Center Of Mass ◽  
Cognitive Activity ◽  
Mental Fatigue ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Before And After

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of mental fatigue on postural sway under different sensory conditions in healthy older adults and in persons with chronic stroke (PwCS). Thirty healthy older adults (> 60 years old), randomly separated into experimental and control groups, as well as 15 PwCS participated in this study. Experimental groups were asked to stand on a force platform wearing seven inertial sensors while performing the Sensory Organization Test (SOT) under two cognitive conditions (single- and dual-task) before and after a mental fatigue task (stop-signal task for 60 min). The control group performed the same protocol before and after watching a movie for 60 min. Changes in subjective fatigue was assessed by the NASA Task Load Index and psychophysiological workload was assessed by heart rate variability (HRV). Postural sway was assessed by calculating the Jerk and root mean square (RMS) of center of mass (COM). Higher Jerk and RMS of COM (p < 0.05) were observed after the mental fatigue task in both healthy older adults and PwCS during SOT, which was not observed in the control group (p > 0.05). Additionally, postural sway increased in the three groups as the SOT conditions became more challenging. Our results indicate that mental fatigue, induced by sustained cognitive activity, can impair balance during SOT in older adult and stroke populations.

Electroacupuncture Modulates Resting-State Functional Connectivity in the Default Mode Network for Healthy Older Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-92
Author(s):  
Dong-qiong Fan ◽  
Hai-chao Zhao ◽  
Jing Sheng ◽  
Yun-rui Liu ◽  
Jing Yu
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Default Mode Network ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Default Mode ◽  
Ventral Medial Prefrontal Cortex

Aging involves cognitive decline and prominent alterations in brain activity. Electroacupuncture (EA), a traditional Chinese medicine approach, is demonstrated to be effective in improving cognitive function of older adults. However, the specific neural mechanism underlying this modulation effect remains unclear. In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate whether EA could improve cognitive performance of community-dwelling older adults and whether these potential improvements are associated with the EA-induced brain functional connectivity alterations. Thirty healthy older adults were recruited and randomly assigned to the EA group and the control group. Behaviorally, we observed an EA-induced improvement in cognitive performance of older adults in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. On a neural perspective, the EA intervention significantly increased the functional connectivity within the default mode network. Moreover, we found a positive association between the improvement in delayed memory performance and the alterations in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex-hippocampal formation connectivity in the EA group. This study extends previous findings by showing that healthy older adults exhibit neural plasticity manifested as increased functional connectivity after EA sessions, which could induce therapeutic effects in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

scholarly journals Neuromuscular control of gait stability in older adults is adapted to environmental demands but not improved after standing balance training

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila Alizadehsaravi ◽  
Sjoerd M. Bruijn ◽  
Wouter Muijres ◽  
Ruud A.J. Koster ◽  
Jaap H. van Dieën
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Balance Control ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Balance Training ◽  
Neuromuscular Control ◽  
Standing Balance ◽  
Heel Strike ◽  
Gait Stability ◽  
Gait Parameters ◽  
Activation Profile

AbstractBalance training aims to improve balance and transfer acquired skills to real-life tasks and conditions. How older adults adapt gait control to different conditions, and whether these adaptations are altered by balance training remains unclear. We investigated adaptations in neuromuscular control of gait in twenty-two older adults (72.6 ± 4.2 years) between normal (NW) and narrow-base walking (NBW), and the effects of a standing balance training program shown to enhance unipedal balance control in the same participants. At baseline, after one session and after 3-weeks of training, kinematics and EMG of NW and NBW on a treadmill were measured. Gait parameters and temporal activation profiles of five synergies extracted from 11 muscles were compared between time-points and gait conditions. No effects of balance training or interactions between training and walking condition on gait parameters or synergies were found. Trunk center of mass (CoM) displacement and velocity (vCoM), and the local divergence exponent (LDE), were lower in NBW compared to NW. For synergies associated with stance of the non-dominant leg and weight acceptance of the dominant leg, full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the activation profiles was smaller in NBW compared to NW. For the synergy associated with non-dominant heel strike, FWHM was greater in NBW compared to NW. The Center of Activation (CoA) of the activation profile associated with dominant leg stance occurred earlier in NBW compared to NW. CoAs of activation profile associated with non-dominant stance and non-dominant and dominant heel strikes were delayed in NBW compared to NW. The adaptations of synergies to NBW can be interpreted as related to a more cautious weight transfer to the new stance leg and enhanced control over CoM movement in the stance phase. However, control of mediolateral gait stability and these adaptations were not affected by balance training.

scholarly journals The effectiveness of a training programme in everyday cognition in healthy older adults: a randomised controlled trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Celia Sánchez Gómez ◽  
Eduardo José Fernández Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Randomised Controlled Trial ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Everyday Cognition ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Experimental Group

Abstract Background Everyday cognition is the application of basic cognitive skills and knowledge of the specific cognitive domain for the resolution of problems that are integrated within the instrumental domains of functioning. The main objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of a Training Programme in Everyday Cognition in order to improve the levels of everyday cognition and global cognitive performance in older adults. Methods A randomised controlled trial of two groups. The sample was composed of healthy older adults. The intervention of the experimental group consisted of an Everyday Cognition Training Programme, and the intervention of the control group consisted of a Conventional Cognitive Training Programme. The Rapid Assessment of Cognitive Functions test (ERFC) and the Everyday Cognition Battery test (ECB) were used to assess the intervention. Results Total sample (n = 237) composed of 44 men and 223 women, with a mean age of 73.45 years. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.001) were evidenced between the control group and the experimental group in both the ECB and ERFC; in the final evaluation of the study and in the follow-up. Conclusion The use of a Daily Cognition Training Programme presents greater benefits in terms of both global cognitive performance and everyday cognition than the use of a Conventional Cognitive Training Programme in elderly adults. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04041999. Retrospectively registered. Date of trial registration: 8th July 2019.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness of a Training Programme in Everyday Cognition in Healthy Older Adults: A Randomised Controlled Trial

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celia Sánchez Gómez ◽  
Eduardo José Fernández Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Randomised Controlled Trial ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Everyday Cognition ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Experimental Group

Abstract Background: Everyday cognition is the application of basic cognitive skills and knowledge of the specific cognitive domain for the resolution of problems that are integrated within the instrumental domains of functioning. The main objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of a Training Programme in Everyday Cognition in order to improve the levels of everyday cognition and global cognitive performance in older adults.Methods: A randomised controlled trial of two groups. The sample was composed of healthy older adults. The intervention of the experimental group consisted of an Everyday Cognition Training Programme, and the intervention of the control group consisted of a Conventional Cognitive Training Programme. The Rapid Assessment of Cognitive Functions test (ERFC) and the Everyday Cognition Battery test (ECB) were used to assess the intervention.Results: Total sample (n=237) composed of 44 men and 223 women, with a mean age of 73.45 years. Statistically significant differences (p <0.001) were evidenced between the control group and the experimental group in both the ECB and ERFC; in the final evaluation of the study and in the follow-up.Conclusion: The use of a Daily Cognition Training Programme presents greater benefits in terms of both global cognitive performance and everyday cognition than the use of a Conventional Cognitive Training Programme in elderly adults.Trial registration:ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04041999 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04041999)Retrospectively registered.

The Effect of Short-Term Balance Training on Community-Dwelling Older Adults

2001 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann-Charlotte Grahn Kronhed ◽  
Claes Möller ◽  
Boel Olsson ◽  
Margareta Möller
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Balance Training ◽  
Exercise Group ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Balance Performance ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Ordinary Life ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
The Right

This study evaluated a balance-training program’s influence in healthy older adults. Fifteen community-dwelling participants aged 70–75 years were randomized to an exercise group, and 15 gender- and age-matched participants, to a control group. The 9-week training program comprised ordinary-life balance, vestibular-habituation, and ball exercises and station training. Clinical balance tests were conducted before and after training. Tests that showed significant improvement in the exercise group after the intervention included standing on the right leg with eyes closed, standing on the right leg and the left leg while turning the head and walking 30 m. Significant between-group differences were found at posttest. A significant decrease was seen in the control group in the walking-forward test, and this change was significantly different between groups. The study indicates that balance performance in healthy older adults might be improved by balance training including exercises that stimulate multiple sensory systems and their central integration.

scholarly journals The effectiveness of a training programme in everyday cognition in healthy older adults: A randomised controlled trial

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celia Sánchez Gómez ◽  
Eduardo José Fernández Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Randomised Controlled Trial ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Everyday Cognition ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Experimental Group

Abstract Background: Everyday cognition is the application of basic cognitive skills and knowledge of the specific cognitive domain for the resolution of problems that are integrated within the instrumental domains of functioning. The main objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of a Training Programme in Everyday Cognition in order to improve the levels of everyday cognition and global cognitive performance in older adults.Methods: A randomised controlled trial of two groups. The sample was composed of healthy older adults. The intervention of the experimental group consisted of an Everyday Cognition Training Programme, and the intervention of the control group consisted of a Conventional Cognitive Training Programme. The Rapid Assessment of Cognitive Functions test (ERFC) and the Everyday Cognition Battery test (ECB) were used to assess the intervention.Results: Total sample (n=237) composed of 44 men and 223 women, with a mean age of 73.45 years. Statistically significant differences (p <0.001) were evidenced between the control group and the experimental group in both the ECB and ERFC; in the final evaluation of the study and in the follow-up.Conclusion: The use of a Daily Cognition Training Programme presents greater benefits in terms of both global cognitive performance and everyday cognition than the use of a Conventional Cognitive Training Programme in elderly adults.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04041999 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04041999)Retrospectively registered. Date of trial registration: 8th July 2019.

Processing gender stereotypes in dementia patients and older healthy adults: a self-paced reading study

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (s2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Müller-Feldmeth ◽  
Katharina Ahnefeld ◽  
Adriana Hanulíková
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Sentence Processing ◽  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Healthy Adults ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Dementia Patients ◽  
Age Related

AbstractWe used self-paced reading to examine whether stereotypical associations of verbs with women or men as prototypical agents (e.g. the craftsman knits a sweater) are activated during sentence processing in dementia patients and healthy older adults. Effects of stereotypical knowledge on language processing have frequently been observed in young adults, but little is known about age-related changes in the activation and integration of stereotypical information. While syntactic processing may remain intact, semantic capacities are often affected in dementia. Since inferences based on gender stereotypes draw on social and world knowledge, access to stereotype information may also be affected in dementia patients. Results from dementia patients (n = 9, average age 86.6) and healthy older adults (n = 14, average age 79.5) showed slower reading times and less accuracy in comprehension scores for dementia patients compared to the control group. While activation of stereotypical associations of verbs was visible in both groups, they differed with respect to the time-course of processing. The effect of stereotypes on comprehension accuracy was visible for healthy adults only. The evidence from reading times suggests that older adults with and without dementia engage stereotypical inferences during reading, which is in line with research on young adults.

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