Intraindividual variability in neural activity in the prefrontal cortex during active walking in older adults.
Roee Holtzer, Daliah Ross, Meltem İzzetoğlu
Abstract
= 394; mean age = 76.29 ± 6.65 years; %female = 55). Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to measure oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2) in the prefrontal cortex under three experimental conditions: single-task-walk, single-task-alpha (cognitive task), and dual-task-walk, which required the participants to perform the two single tasks simultaneously. Intraindividual variability in neural activity was operationalized using the standard deviation of fNIRS-derived HbO2 observations assessed during a 30-s interval in each experimental condition. The increase in intraindividual variability in neural activity in the dual-task-walk condition compared to both single-task conditions was associated with the presence of cognitive impairments and being a male. Furthermore, measures of intraindividual variability in neural activity and gait performance were positively correlated only under the dual-task-walk condition. Intraindividual variability in the neural activity of gait may be a novel marker for age-related impairments in mobility and cognitive function. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).