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Neurological Gait Abnormalities Moderate the Functional Brain Signature of the Posture First Hypothesis
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Neurological Gait Abnormalities Moderate the Functional Brain Signature of the Posture First Hypothesis

Roee Holtzer, Joe Verghese, Gilles Allali, Meltem Izzetoglu, Cuiling Wang and Jeannette R Mahoney
Brain topography, v 29(2), pp 334-343
Mar 2016
PMID: 26613725
url
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc4755880View
Accepted (AM)Open Access (License Unspecified) Open

Abstract

Aged Aged, 80 and over Brain - metabolism Brain - physiopathology Cognition Disorders - etiology Female Gait Disorders, Neurologic - complications Gait Disorders, Neurologic - pathology Humans Linear Models Male Neurologic Examination Neuropsychological Tests Oxyhemoglobins - metabolism Posture - physiology Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared Walking
The posture first hypothesis suggests that under dual-task walking conditions older adults prioritize gait over cognitive task performance. Functional neural confirmation of this hypothesis, however, is lacking. Herein, we determined the functional neural correlates of the posture first hypothesis and hypothesized that the presence of neurological gait abnormalities (NGA) would moderate associations between brain activations, gait and cognitive performance. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy we assessed changes in oxygenated hemoglobin levels in the pre-frontal cortex (PFC) during normal walk and walk while talk (WWT) conditions in a large cohort of non-demented older adults (n = 236; age = 75.5 ± 6.49 years; female = 51.7 %). NGA were defined as central (due to brain diseases) or peripheral (neuropathic gait) following a standardized neurological examination protocol. Double dissociations between brain activations and behavior emerged as a function of NGA. Higher oxygenation levels during WWT were related to better cognitive performance (estimate = 0.145; p < 0.001) but slower gait velocity (estimate = -6.336, p < 0.05) among normals. In contrast, higher oxygenation levels during WWT among individuals with peripheral NGA were associated with worse cognitive performance (estimate = -0.355; p < 0.001) but faster gait velocity (estimate = 14.855; p < 0.05). Increased activation in the PFC during locomotion may have a compensatory function that is designed to support gait among individuals with peripheral NGA.

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
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Web of Science research areas
Clinical Neurology
Neurosciences
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