Abstract
Aging is associated with a shift from an automatic to a more cortical postural control strategy, which goes along with deteriorations in postural stability. Although balance training has been shown to effectively counteract these behavioral deteriorations, little is known about the effect of balance training on brain activity during postural tasks in older adults. We, therefore, assessed postural stability and brain activity using fMRI during motor imagery alone (MI) and in combination with action observation (AO; i.e., AO+MI) of a challenging balance task in older adults before and after 5 weeks of balance training. Results showed a nonsignificant trend toward improvements in postural stability after balance training, accompanied by reductions in brain activity during AO+MI of the balance task in areas relevant for postural control, which have been shown to be over-activated in older adults during (simulation of) motor performance, including motor, premotor, and multisensory vestibular areas. This suggests that balance training may reverse the age-related cortical over-activations and lead to changes in the control of upright posture toward the one observed in young adults.
Highlights
Normal aging is associated with deteriorations in postural stability (Maki and McIlroy, 1996), which eventually increase the risk for falls (Muir et al, 2010; Boisgontier et al, 2017)
Most notably, using motor imagery alone (MI), action observation (AO), and the combination of the two (AO+MI) of balance tasks, we recently found over-activations in the same older adults who participated in the present study in supplementary motor area (SMA), primary motor cortex (M1), premotor cortex (PMC), putamen and prefrontal cortex (PFC) (Mouthon et al, in press)
No significant group differences were found when looking at the post-pre contrast. These findings indicate that balance training led to reductions in brain activity during AO+MI of a balance task in specific areas
Summary
Normal aging is associated with deteriorations in postural stability (Maki and McIlroy, 1996), which eventually increase the risk for falls (Muir et al, 2010; Boisgontier et al, 2017). These behavioral impairments are accompanied by changes in the postural control strategy. Older adults exhibit greater and more widespread activation of cortical areas compared to young adults when performing motor tasks (Seidler et al, 2010). Using motor imagery (MI) and action observation (AO), standing and walking have been investigated with fMRI and similar effects of greater brain activity in older relative to young adults Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies showed age-related increases in brain activity during performance of finger and coordinated hand and foot movements in prefrontal and motor areas including prefrontal cortex (PFC), premotor cortex (PMC), supplementary motor area (SMA), pre-SMA, putamen and cerebellum (Mattay et al, 2002; Heuninckx et al, 2005, 2008; Coxon et al, 2010; Goble et al, 2010; Maes et al, 2017).
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