Abstract
Motor cognitive functions and their neurophysiology evolve and degrade along the lifespan in a dramatic fashion. Current models of how the brain adapts to aging remain inspired primarily by studies on memory or language processes. Yet, aging is strongly associated with reduced motor independence and the associated degraded interaction with the environment: accordingly, any neurocognitive model of aging not considering the motor system is, ipso facto, incomplete. Here we present a meta-analysis of forty functional brain-imaging studies to address aging effects on motor control. Our results indicate that motor control is associated with aging-related changes in brain activity, involving not only motoric brain regions but also posterior areas such as the occipito-temporal cortex. Notably, some of these differences depend on the specific nature of the motor task and the level of performance achieved by the participants. These findings support neurocognitive models of aging that make fewer anatomical assumptions while also considering tasks-dependent and performance-dependent manifestations. Besides the theoretical implications, the present data also provide additional information for the motor rehabilitation domain, indicating that motor control is a more complex phenomenon than previously understood, to which separate cognitive operations can contribute and decrease in different ways with aging.
Highlights
Motor cognitive functions and their neurophysiology evolve and degrade along the lifespan in a dramatic fashion
Twenty-one out of 40 studies described a behavioural decline in the elderly participants, suggesting a general deterioration of motor functions associated with the physiological process of aging: older adults showed increased reaction times (RTs, 5 studies), or reduced accuracy (12 studies), or both increased RTs and reduced accuracy (4 studies) during the execution of different motor tasks
We considered all fMRI/PET studies where both young and elderly subjects were tested with motor paradigms
Summary
Motor cognitive functions and their neurophysiology evolve and degrade along the lifespan in a dramatic fashion. Our results indicate that motor control is associated with aging-related changes in brain activity, involving motoric brain regions and posterior areas such as the occipito-temporal cortex Some of these differences depend on the specific nature of the motor task and the level of performance achieved by the participants. Only a limited number of studies have focused on the effects of physiological aging on motor control, which we define here as a gradual decrease of motor abilities associated with aging in the absence of a significant breakdown of specific neural systems nor accompanying symptoms like, for example, tremor, rigidity, or typical gait disorders This is quite surprising since the quality of life of older adults is strongly associated with their motor independence and the subsequent efficient interactions with the environment. We address this specific topic by reviewing with a quantitative meta-analysis the available evidence derived from task-based brain imaging activation studies on how the physiological process of aging affects motor control. We spell out the methodological features of the present study that make it novel in comparison with previous metaanalyses of aging and the motor system
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
