Abstract
Physical fitness has been long associated with maintenance and improvement of motor performance as we age. In particular, measures of psychomotor speed and motor dexterity tend to be higher in physically fit aging adults as compared to their sedentary counterparts. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), we explored the patterns of neural activity that may, in part, account for differences between individuals of varying physical fitness levels. In this study, we enrolled both sedentary and physically fit middle age (40–60) and younger (18–30) adults and measured upper extremity motor performance during behavioral testing. In a follow-up session, we employed TMS and fMRI to assess levels of interhemispheric communication during unimanual tasks. Results show that increased physical fitness is associated with better upper extremity motor performance on distal dexterity assessments and increased levels of interhemispheric inhibition in middle age adults. Further, the functional correlates of changes of ipsilateral activity appears to be restricted to the aging process as younger adults of varying fitness levels do not differ in hemispheric patterns of activity or motor performance. We conclude that sedentary aging confers a loss of interhemispheric inhibition that is deleterious to some aspects of motor function, as early as midlife, but these changes can be mediated by chronic engagement in aerobic exercise.
Highlights
IntroductionManual dexterity and upper extremity motor performance begins to decline. While there are many factors that are implicated in this process from a mechanical level (e.g., rheumatism, decreased muscle mass, increased rigidity of connective tissues) the predominant factor for aging-related decreases in hand motor function is most likely caused by alteration of neural function within the central nervous system (Cole et al, 1998; Latash and Zatsiorsky, 2009; Christou, 2011)
As we age, manual dexterity and upper extremity motor performance begins to decline
While there are many factors that are implicated in this process from a mechanical level the predominant factor for aging-related decreases in hand motor function is most likely caused by alteration of neural function within the central nervous system (Cole et al, 1998; Latash and Zatsiorsky, 2009; Christou, 2011)
Summary
Manual dexterity and upper extremity motor performance begins to decline. While there are many factors that are implicated in this process from a mechanical level (e.g., rheumatism, decreased muscle mass, increased rigidity of connective tissues) the predominant factor for aging-related decreases in hand motor function is most likely caused by alteration of neural function within the central nervous system (Cole et al, 1998; Latash and Zatsiorsky, 2009; Christou, 2011). Application of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to address this problem has discerned that aging-related changes in patterns of cortical activity predicts changes in motor function associated with aging (Fling et al, 2011a; McGregor et al, 2011, 2012a; Bernard and Seidler, 2012). These aging-related changes in activity may be altered by the regular engagement in aerobic exercise, which may explain the maintenance of hand dexterity in exercising aging adults (McGregor et al, 2011, 2012b; Davidson and Tremblay, 2013)
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