Main Effect Of Age Group Research Articles

"You Are Not Wrong About Getting Strong:" An Insight Into the Impact of Age Group and Level of Competition on Strength in Spanish Football Players.

This study aimed to compare the maximum and rapid force production of Spanish football players and explore the differences between age group and level of competition. A cross-sectional study was developed to evaluate the peak force (PF), relative PF, and rate of force development over 250ms (RFD0-250) during the isometric midthigh pull between groups of football players based on age group (senior vs junior) and level of competition (national vs regional). Using a portable isometric rig, 111 football players performed 2 isometric midthigh-pull trials on a force plate. Two-way analysis of variance with Bonferroni post hoc correction was applied, and statistical significance was set at P ≤ .05. The PF, relative PF, and RFD0-250 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 percentiles were also calculated and descriptively reported, separated by age group and level of competition. The analysis of variance revealed a significant main effect of the level of competition for the PF (P < .001), relative PF (P = .003), and RFD0-250 (P < .001). There was a significant main effect of age group for the PF (P < .001). There was a significant interaction effect of the age group × level of competition for relative PF (P = .014). National players were stronger than regional players on the PF and RFD0-250 (P < .001). Senior players were stronger than junior players for the PF (P < .001). Maximum and rapid force production are crucial for Spanish football players as they progress in both level of competition and age group. Practitioners should encourage young football players to prioritize strength development to improve their athletic performance.

Age Comparisons of Cardiac Work During Exercise in Women: Insight from Acute β1 Adrenergic Blockade

Postmenopausal women exhibit exaggerated increases in blood pressure during activities of daily living and exercise. The decreased size and increased stiffening of postmenopausal women's hearts elevate myocardial oxygen demand when compared to age-matched men and younger cohorts. Together, this poses a risk to the safety of, and capacity for, exercise in postmenopausal women. We recently studied the effects of esmolol, a fast-acting, cardio-selective β1 antagonist, on oxygen transport variables during dynamic exercise in healthy young (Y) and older (O) women to better understand differences in cardiovascular responses to exercise. Objective: Determine the effects of acute cardiac specific blockade on myocardial oxygen demand (rate pressure product, RPP) and cardiac work (CW) in healthy young premenopausal and older postmenopausal women. Methods: Thirteen healthy young (20-32 yr) and older postmenopausal (58-70 yr) women performed moderate (85% of lactate threshold) and heavy (50% between lactate threshold and the respiratory compensation point) recumbent leg cycling exercise during IV infusion of saline or esmolol in randomized order. Whole body oxygen consumption (VO2, indirect calorimetry), brachial systolic blood pressure (SBP, automated cuff), heart rate (HR, ECG), and cardiac output (CO, bioimpedance) were measured continuously. RPP (HR×SBP), CW (CO×SBP), and cardiac effciency (CE, CW/VO2) were calculated. Mixed model repeated measures ANOVAs were used to determine the effect of treatment and age group. Results: Power outputs were lower in O vs. Y at both moderate (45±9W and 72±15W, p&lt;0.001) and heavy (81±21W vs. 117±32W, p&lt;0.001) intensities. During the saline trial CO was lower (p&lt;0.001), and RPP was higher (p&lt;0.001) in the O vs. Y group during both intensities. There was a main effect of treatment on RPP, CW, and CE. Esmolol reduced RPP (4638±775 SD, p&lt;0.001), CW (547±89, p&lt;0.001) and CE (1682±62, p&lt;0.001) in both O and Y. There was a main effect of age group on CE, pairwise comparisons showed CE was lower in O than Y (441±112, p&lt;0.001). Conclusions: Older postmenopausal women experience higher myocardial oxygen demand and perform more cardiac work for a given whole body liter oxygen consumed during dynamic leg exercise compared to younger premenopausal women. Acute β1 adrenergic blockade narrows the gap between central cardiovascular function in young and old women and provides a powerful tool to investigate age-related cardiovascular differences. NIH R21 AG054940. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Cortisol levels across the lifespan in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus).

Human aging is associated with senescence of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, leading to progressive dysregulation characterized by increased cortisol exposure. This key hormone is implicated in the pathogenesis of many age-related diseases. Common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) display a wide spectrum of naturally occurring age-related pathologies that compare similarly to humans and are increasingly used as translational models of aging and age-related disease. Whether the marmoset HPA axis also shows senescence with increasing age is unknown. We analyzed hair cortisol concentration (HCC) across the lifespan of 50 captive common marmosets, ranging in age from approximately 2 months-14.5 years, via a cross-sectional design. Samples were processed and analyzed for cortisol using enzyme immunoassay. HCC ranged from 1416 to 15,343 pg/mg and was negatively correlated with age. We found significant main effects of age group (infant, adolescent, adult, aged, very aged) and sex on HCC, and no interaction effects. Infants had significantly higher levels of HCC compared with all other age groups. Females had higher HCC than males. There was no interaction between age and sex. These results suggest marmosets do not show dysregulation of the HPA axis with increasing age, as measured via HCC.

Influence of Age and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Vestibular Neuritis: Retrospective Cohort Study.

Retrospective cohort study. VN-diagnosed patients were included and divided into two groups: those with and without CVRFs. We analyzed the mean vestibular-ocular reflex (VOR) gain, measured through the video head impulse test (vHIT) at the diagnosis and one-year follow-up. We conducted a factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) to evaluate the effect of age, sex, and CVRFs in the mean VOR gain. Sixty-three VN-diagnosed patients were included. There were no statistically significant differences in the mean VOR gain between both groups. However, in the subgroup analysis, there were statistically significant differences when comparing the mean VOR gain at the one-year follow-up between the group over 55 years of age 0.77 ± 0.20 and the group under 55 years 0.87 ± 0.15 (p = 0.036). Additionally, the factorial ANOVA demonstrated a significant main effect of age group on the mean VOR gain at the one-year follow-up (p = 0.018), and it also found a significant interaction between the factors of gender, age group, HTN (p = 0.043). CVRFs do not independently affect the mean VOR gain in VN patients' follow-ups. However, age significantly impacts VOR gain in VN and could be modulated by gender and hypertension.

A-51 EYE-SYNC Saccade Outcomes and Health/Demographic Factors in CFL Athletes

Abstract Purpose Examine the relationship between demographic and health factors, and oculomotor functioning during baseline testing in professional Canadian Football League (CFL) athletes. Methods 428 male athletes participated in baseline concussion testing. Athletes ranged in age from 21 to 40 years (M=26.44, SD=2.87) and reported a history of 0, 1, or 2+ sport-related concussions (SRCs). All athlete participants completed the Head Check questions of demographics and medical history, and the EYE-SYNC saccade test to explore how the presence of a history of concussions, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Learning Disability (LD), age, and post-exertion influenced baseline measures of oculomotor functioning using the EYE-SYNC saccade outcomes of accuracy and precision. Results Correlations revealed no significant relationships between combined vertical and horizontal saccade outcomes and the demographic/health variables (p&amp;gt;05). Independent t-tests indicated no significant differences in mean saccade performance between athletes with and without ADHD and/or LD (p&amp;gt;.05). A three-way multiple analysis of variance, run with age group and four saccade outcomes (LeftAccuracyXY, LeftPrecisionXY, RightAccuracyXY, RightPrecisionXY), showed no main effect of age group on the combined saccade outcomes F(8, 844)=.91, p=.50. Finally, a one-way repeated measures analysis of variance also revealed no significant differences from pre- to post-exertion assessments, F(4, 56)=.41, p=.80. Conclusions The oculomotor functioning of CFL athletes at baseline does not appear to be influenced by a history of concussion, ADHD, LD, age, or physical exertion. This information may help professionals with their clinical decision-making regarding SRC diagnosis.

A cross-sectional study to assess pragmatic strengths and weaknesses in healthy ageing

BackgroundAgeing refers to the natural and physiological changes that individuals experience over the years. This process also involves modifications in terms of communicative-pragmatics, namely the ability to convey meanings in social contexts and to interact with other people using various expressive means, such as linguistic, extralinguistic and paralinguistic aspects of communication. Very few studies have provided a complete assessment of communicative-pragmatic performance in healthy ageing.MethodsThe aim of this study was to comprehensively assess communicative-pragmatic ability in three samples of 20 (N = 60) healthy adults, each belonging to a different age range (20–40, 65–75, 76–86 years old) and to compare their performance in order to observe any potential changes in their ability to communicate. We also explored the potential role of education and sex on the communicative-pragmatic abilities observed. The three age groups were evaluated with a between-study design by means of the Assessment Battery for Communication (ABaCo), a validated assessment tool characterised by five scales: linguistic, extralinguistic, paralinguistic, contextual and conversational.ResultsThe results indicated that the pragmatic ability assessed by the ABaCo is poorer in older participants when compared to the younger ones (main effect of age group: F(2,56) = 9.097; p < .001). Specifically, significant differences were detected in tasks on the extralinguistic, paralinguistic and contextual scales. Whereas the data highlighted a significant role of education (F(1,56) = 4.713; p = .034), no sex-related differences were detected.ConclusionsOur results suggest that the ageing process may also affect communicative-pragmatic ability and a comprehensive assessment of the components of such ability may help to better identify difficulties often experienced by older individuals in their daily life activities.

Protective effects of education on the cognitive decline in a mental rotation task using real models: a pilot study with middle and older aged adults

Mental rotation is the ability to rotate objects in one’s mind. Large age-related decreases in accuracy and processing time are often found in studies using paper-and-pencil or computerized mental rotation tests. For older participants, these tests are often too difficult. In the present study, real models consisting of cube figures were used to assess the mental rotation performance of middle and older aged adults. It should be investigated whether these tests were comparable to paper-and-pencil or chronometric tests and if very old participants were able to solve them. Eighty-four participants (49 females) between 40 and 90 years took part and were divided into middle (40–68 years) and older aged (69–90 years) and groups with higher (with college degree) and lower education (without college degree). For accuracy, main effects of gender and age group as well as interactions of age group and education were found. Younger participants outperformed older ones only in the group with lower education. For processing time, a main effect of age group as well as an interaction of age group and education was found. The age-related cognitive decline in the higher educated group was moderate, while a large effect appeared for the group without college degree. Age and gender effects of our new test with real objects were comparable to paper–pencil and computerized tests. Furthermore, a protective effect of education on the cognitive decline in mental rotation performance is discussed.

Understanding Players' Sportspersonship Attitude, Expectancy-Related Beliefs, and Subjective Task Values in Field Hockey: An Integrated Approach.

(1) Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between expectancy-value components and attitudes toward sportspersonship among Malaysian adolescent field hockey players. This study also examined the effect of expectancy beliefs, task values, and sportspersonship attitude on the motivation of adolescent field hockey players by gender and age group. (2) Methods: The Malay versioned Expectancy Value Model Questionnaire and the Malay versioned Multidimensional Sportspersonship Orientations Scale were administered on 730 respondents (µ = 15.46 ± 1.83 years). (3) Results: The expectancy values and attainment value (r = 0.894), utility value and attainment value (r = 0.833) were highly correlated. There was no significant gender difference in expectancy, task values, and sportspersonship attitude dimensions. The main effect of age group was significant on task values: F (2724) = 4.19; p = 0.01. The difference was indicated between age groups of 15–16 years and 12–14 years (p = 0.02, d = 0.014) under task values variable. (4) Conclusions: There is no significant relationships between sportspersonship attitude (MSOS-M) and of expectancy beliefs and task values (EVMQ-M). To conclude, female and younger players demonstrate lower expectancy beliefs, task values, and sportspersonship attitudes than male and older field hockey players.

Perceptual-cognitive performance of youth soccer players in a 360°-environment – Differences between age groups and performance levels

IntroductionAn important requirement for soccer players is the accurate and rapid processing of dynamic and complex visual scenes. Therefore, in high-level youth soccer the players’ perceptual-cognitive skills are highly relevant from a scientific and practical point of view. The aim of the present study was to investigate differences in perceptual-cognitive performance between youth soccer players of different age groups and soccer performance levels in a dynamic 360°-environment. MethodsIn a sample of 292 elite and sub-elite youth soccer players from the age groups U12–U23, perceptual-cognitive skills were assessed using a 360°-multiple object tracking task. An 8 × 2 (age group x performance level) analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to examine the effects of age group and soccer performance level on performance in the task. ResultsThe analyses revealed a significant main effect of age group. Post hoc analyses showed that youth players belonging to the older age groups (U16, U17, U19, and U23) performed significantly better in the 360°-multiple object tracking task than players of the youngest age group (U12). Yet no significant age-related differences could be found from age group U16 on. Furthermore, there was a significant effect of soccer performance level on the 360°-multiple object tracking performance in favor of the elite players. Significant differences between elite and sub-elite players within the same age group were only present in the highest age groups U19 and U23. ConclusionsThe results suggest that in a dynamic 360°-environment highly talented youth soccer players show better perceptual-cognitive performance with increasing age. Furthermore, elite youth players exhibit distinctive perceptual-cognitive abilities particularly at the highest age groups. These findings provide interesting implications for science and practice regarding the perceptual-cognitive skills of talented soccer players and their role in talent development.

Bi-Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Combined With Treadmill Walking Decreases Motor Cortical Activity in Young and Older Adults

Background: Walking in the “real world” involves motor and cognitive processes. In relation to this, declines in both motor function and cognition contribute to age-related gait dysfunction. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and treadmill walking (STW) have potential to improve gait, particularly during dual-task walking (DTW); walking whilst performing a cognitive task. Our aims were to analyze effects of combined anodal tDCS + STW intervention on cortical activity and gait during DTW.Methods: Twenty-three young adults (YA) and 21 older adults (OA) were randomly allocated to active or sham tDCS stimulation groups. Participants performed 5-min of mixed treadmill walking (alternating 30 s bouts of STW and DTW) before and after a 20-min intervention of active or sham tDCS + STW. Anodal electrodes were placed over the left prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the vertex (Cz) using 9 cm2 electrodes at 0.6 mA. Cortical activity of the PFC, primary motor cortex (M1), premotor cortex (PMC), and supplementary motor area (SMA) bilaterally were recorded using a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) system. Oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2) levels were analyzed as indicators of cortical activity. An accelerometer measured gait parameters. We calculated the difference between DTW and STW for HbO2 and gait parameters. We applied linear mixed effects models which included age group (YA vs. OA), stimulation condition (sham vs. active), and time (pre- vs. post-intervention) as fixed effects. Treadmill belt speed was a covariate. Partial correlation tests were also performed.Results: A main effect of age group was observed. OA displayed higher activity bilaterally in the PFC and M1, unilaterally in the right PMC and higher gait variability than YA. M1 activity decreased in both YA and OA following active tDCS + STW. There was no overall effect of tDCS + STW on PFC activity or gait parameters. However, negative correlations were observed between changes in left PFC and stride length variability following active tDCS + STW intervention.Conclusion: Increased activity in multiple cortical areas during DTW in OA may act as a compensatory mechanism. Reduction in M1 activity following active tDCS + STW with no observed gait changes suggests improved neural efficiency.

Benefits of Volunteering for Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Comparison Between Types of Volunteering Activities

More middle-aged and older adults are often encouraged to volunteer (Gray et al., 2012). However, the effects of various volunteering activities on physical, psychological and cognitive health remain unknown. This study thereby aims to investigate such effects and the moderating effect of age in such associations. Data of 501 middle-aged and older Hong Kong Chinese adults (Mage = 53.06, SD = 4.55; and Mage = 70.46, SD = 7.34, respectively; range = 45 – 96) from a survey on Adult Development and Aging were analysed. Engagements in instrumental (e.g., food preparation, fundraising) and cognitively demanding volunteering (e.g., counselling, mentoring), hand-grip strength, life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, and cognitive functioning were measured. Factorial ANOVA revealed significant main effects of age group and volunteering type (F = 29.71, and F = 3.96, respectively, ps < .001), and an interaction effect of age and volunteering type (F =1.80, p = .03) on health outcomes. Comparisons among the four volunteering types (no volunteering, instrumental volunteering, cognitively demanding volunteering, and both types) revealed that individuals engaging in cognitively demanding volunteering had better hand-grip strength, life satisfaction, and cognitive functioning, and lower depressive symptoms than those who engaged in instrumental volunteering (all ps < .05). The health outcomes of instrumental volunteering were even worse than those who did not volunteer at all. These patterns were more prevalent in the middle-aged adults than in the older adults. Findings of this study indicated the beneficial effects of cognitively demanding volunteering, providing valuable directions for future programs on volunteering.

Young Adults Have Worse Outcomes Than Older Adults: Secondary Analysis of a Medication Trial for Opioid Use Disorder

PurposeYoung adults are disproportionately affected by the current opioid crisis. Although medications for opioid use disorder are broadly effective, with reductions in morbidity and mortality, the particular effectiveness of medications for opioid use disorder among young adults is less well understood. MethodsThis secondary analysis compared young adults (aged 18–25 years) with older adults (aged ≥26 years) in a large comparative effectiveness trial (“XBOT”) that randomized subjects to extended-release naltrexone or sublingual buprenorphine–naloxone for 6 months. Opioid relapse was defined by opioid use over four consecutive weeks or seven consecutive days, using urine testing and self-report. ResultsAmong subjects in the intention-to-treat sample (n = 570, all randomized participants), a main effect of age group was found, with higher relapse rates among young adults (70.3%) compared with older adults (58.2%), with an odds ratio of 1.72 (95% confidence interval = 1.08–2.70), p = .02. In the per-protocol sample (n = 474, only participants who started medication), relapse rates were higher among young adults (66.3%) compared with older adults (50.8%), with an odds ratio of 1.91 (95% confidence interval = 1.19–3.06). Among the intention-to-treat sample, survival analysis revealed a significant time-by-age group interaction (p = .01) with more relapse over time in young adults. No significant interactions between age and medication group were detected. ConclusionsYoung adults have increased rates of relapse compared with older adults, perhaps because of vulnerabilities that increase their risk for treatment dropout and medication nonadherence, regardless of medication assignment. These results suggest that specialized, developmentally informed interventions may be needed to improve retention and successful treatment of opioid use disorder among young adults.

Application of ensemble methods to analyse the decline of organochlorine pesticides in relation to the interactions between age, gender and time.

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are toxic chemicals that persist in human tissue. Short and long term exposure to OCPs have been shown to have adverse effects on human health. This motivates studies into the concentrations of pesticides in humans. However these studies typically emphasise the analysis of the main effects of age group, gender and time of sample collection. The interactions between main effects can distinguish variation in OCP concentration such as the difference in concentrations between genders of the same age group as well as age groups over time. These are less studied but may be equally or more important in understanding effects of OCPs in a population. The aim of this study was to identify interactions relevant to understanding OCP concentrations and utilise them appropriately in models. We propose a two stage analysis comprising of boosted regression trees (BRTs) and hierarchical modelling to study OCP concentrations. BRTs are used to discover influential interactions between age group, gender and time of sampling. Hierarchical models are then employed to test and infer the effect of the interactions on OCP concentrations. Results of our analysis show that the best fitting model of an interaction effect varied between OCPs. The interaction between age group and gender was most influential for hexachlorobenzene (HCB) concentrations. There was strong evidence of an interaction effect between age group and time for β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH) concentrations in >60 year olds as well as an interaction effect between age group and gender for HCB concentrations for adults aged >45 years. This study highlights the need to consider appropriate interaction effects in the analysis of OCP concentrations and provides further insight into the interplay of main effects on OCP concentration trends.

Do cues from multiple modalities support quicker learning in primary schoolchildren?

The current study investigates whether informative, mutually redundant audiovisual cues support better performance in a category learning paradigm. Research suggests that, under some conditions, redundant multisensory cues supports better learning, when compared with unisensory cues. This was examined systematically across two experiments. In Experiment 1, children aged 5, 7, and 10 years were allocated to 1 of the 3 "modality" conditions (audio informative only, visual informative only, and audiovisual informative) and explicitly instructed to learn the category membership of individual exemplars, as determined by a threshold of correct responses. Unisensory or redundant multisensory cues determined category membership, depending on the learning condition. In addition to significant main effects of age group and condition, a significant interaction between age and sensory condition was found, with 5-year-olds performing better when presented with redundant multisensory cues compared to unisensory cues. Ten-year-olds performed better with auditory informative only cues, compared to visual informative only cues, or informative but redundant multisensory cues, with no significant difference between the latter two. In Experiment 2, the multisensory condition was presented to separate groups of 5-, 7-, and 10-year-olds, examining explicit learning outcomes in the audiovisual informative condition. Results showed that children who reached threshold during training were faster, made fewer errors, and performed better during test trials. Learning appeared to be based on the visual informative cues. Findings are discussed in the context of age-related selective attention, suggesting that the value of providing multisensory informative cues to support real-world learning depends on age and instructional context. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The age of peak performance in women and men duathletes - The paradigm of short and long versions in "Powerman Zofingen".

PurposeThe age of peak performance (APP) has been studied extensively in various endurance and ultra-endurance sports; however, less information exists in regard to duathlon (ie, Run1, Bike, and Run2). The aim of the present study was to assess the APP of duathletes competing either in a short (ie, 10 km Run1, 50 km Bike, and 5 km Run2) or a long distance (ie, 10 km Run1, 150 km Bike, and 30 km Run2) race.Participants and methodsWe analyzed 6,671 participants (women, n=1,037, age 36.6±9.1 years; men, n=5,634, 40.0±10.0 years) in “Powerman Zofingen” from 2003 to 2017.ResultsConsidering the finishers in 5-year age groups, in the short distance, a small main effect of sex on race time was observed (p<0.001, η2 =0.052) with men (171.7±20.9 min) being faster than women (186.0±21.5 min) by −7.7%. A small main effect of age group on race was shown (p<0.001, η2 =0.049) with 20–24 years being the fastest and 70–74 years the slowest. No sex × age group interaction was found (p=0.314, η2 =0.003). In the long distance, a small main effect of sex on race time was observed (p<0.001, η2 =0.021) with men (502.8±56.8 min) being faster than women (544.3±62.8 min) by −7.6%. A large main effect of age group on race time was shown (p<0.001, η2 =0.138) with age group 25–29 years the fastest and age group 70–74 years the slowest. A small sex × age group interaction on race time was found (p<0.001, η2 =0.013) with sex difference ranging from −22.4% (15–19 age group) to −6.6% (30–34 age group).ConclusionBased on these findings, it was concluded an older APP in the long than in the short distance was seen in “Powerman Zofingen.” This indicates that APP in duathlon follows a similar trend as in endurance and ultra-endurance running and triathlon, ie, the longer the distance, the older the APP.

Neuropsychological Assessment of Older Adults With Virtual Reality: Association of Age, Schooling, and General Cognitive Status.

The development of neuropsychological assessment methods using virtual reality (VR) is a valid and promising option for the detection of cognitive impairment in the older people, focusing on activities composed of tasks of multiple demands. This study verified the association of age, schooling, and general cognitive status on the performance of neurologically healthy older adults in ECO-VR, a VR task of multiple demands for neuropsychological assessment. A total of 111 older adults answered a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Mini Mental State Examination, the Vocabulary subtest of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Adults (third edition), and the ECO-VR. Correlation analyses, multiple linear regression, and comparisons between groups (effects by age and schooling groups) were used to evaluate the results. The ECO-VR total score was significantly associated with age, years of education, MMSE, and Vocabulary subtest. The linear regression models identified that age was the main predictor for total score and rule breaking of ECO-VR. According to the univariate analysis, it was identified the main effect of age group and schooling group in the total ECO-VR score, but there was no interaction effect. The results are discussed in order to understand the role of sociodemographic characteristics in the performance of older adults in a VR task of multiple demands. It was also verified the possibility use of VR for neuropsychological assessment of older adults.

An fMRI study of finger tapping in children and adults.

Functional brain imaging studies have characterized the neural bases of voluntary movement for finger tapping in adults, but equivalent information for children is lacking. When contrasted to adults, one would expect children to have relatively greater activation, reflecting compensation for an underdeveloped motor system combined with less experience in the execution of voluntary movement. To test this hypothesis, we acquired functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data on 17 healthy right-handed children (7.48 ± 0.66 years) and 15 adults (24.9 ± 2.9 years) while they performed an irregularly paced finger-tapping task in response to a visual cue (left- and right-hand examined separately). Whole-brain within-group analyses revealed that finger tapping in either age group and for either hand activated contralateral SM1, SMA, ipsilateral anterior cerebellum, and occipital cortices. We used an ANOVA factorial design to test for main effects of Age Group (children vs adults), Hand (left vs. right), and their interactions. For main effects of Age Group, children showed relatively greater activity in left SM1 (extending into bilateral SMA), and, surprisingly, adults exhibited relatively greater activity in right pre-SMA/SMA (extending into left pre-SMA/SMA), right lateral globus pallidus, left putamen, and right anterior cerebellum. The interaction of Age Group × Hand revealed that while both groups activated right SM1 during left finger tapping and exhibited signal decreases (i.e., below fixation baseline) during right finger tapping, both these responses were attenuated in children relative to adults. These data provide an important foundation by which to study children with motor disorders.

Pacing strategies by age in marathon cross-country skiing

ABSTRACTObjectives: Pacing strategies have mainly been investigated for runners, but little is known for cross-country skiers. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether differences in pacing strategies do exist between younger and older cross-country skiers competing in the 42 km ‘Engadin Ski Marathon’.Methods: Pacing was studied in 105,565 cross-country skiers (classified in 5-year age groups) competing between 1998 and 2016 in this race by examining changes of mean section velocity in 10 km (Change A, i.e. 100×(velocity in the 10-20 km section – velocity in the 0-10 km section)/velocity in the 0-10 km section), 20 km (Change B) and 35 km (Change C).Results: A small sex×distance (i.e. Change A versus Change B versus Change C) interaction on change of velocity was shown (P < .001, η2 = 0.016), with women showing a less even pacing than men. In women, there was a trivial main effect of age group on Change A (P < .001, η2 = 0.008) with a smaller decrease in velocity in age group <20 (−7.4%) and larger decrease in velocity in age group 75–79 (−12.8%), and Change B (P = .006, η2 = 0.004) with smaller increase in velocity in age group 75–79 (+30.6%) and larger increase in velocity in age group 40–44 (+37.7%), but not on Change C (P = .784, η2 = 0.003). In men, a small main effect of age group on Change A was shown (P < .001, η2 = 0.019), with a smaller decrease of velocity in age group <20 (−3.5%) and larger in age group 70–74 (−10.5%). Trivial main effects of age group on Change B (P < .001, η2 = .002), with a smaller increase of velocity in age group 85–89 (+25.8%) and larger increase in age group 70–74 (+33.0%), and Change C (P < .001, η2 = 0.003), with smaller decrease of velocity in age group 85–89 (−38.2%) and larger decrease in age group 80–84 (−41.0%), were found.Conclusions: Based on these findings, it was concluded that men and young cross-country skiers had a more even pacing than women and older cross-country skiers, which was in contrast with previous findings in other endurance sports, suggesting that the sex- and age-related differences in pacing might be sport-dependent.

Effects of hunger state on the brain responses to food cues across the life span

The abundant exposure to food cues in our environment is one of the main drivers of overconsumption. Food evaluation is important for the regulation of food intake by the brain and it's interaction with hunger state. Children are especially susceptible to food cues. Understanding the mechanisms behind this regulation in healthy individuals across the life span can help to elucidate the mechanisms underlying overconsumption and aid the development of future obesity prevention strategies. Few functional neuroimaging studies have been done in children and elderly. Furthermore, it is unknown how hunger state affects neural food cue reactivity in these groups, since this has not been examined consistently.We examined the effects of hunger state and age on the brain responses to low- and high calorie foods. On two mornings, 122 participants (17 children; 38 teens; 36 adults; 31 elderly) performed a food image viewing task while being scanned using fMRI, either fasted or sated.Hunger induced greater activation during high versus low calorie food image viewing than satiety in the bilateral dorsomedial (dmPFC) and in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) across all age groups. There was no significant main effect of age group on high versus low calorie food image viewing and no interaction between age group and hunger state.The greater activation of the dlPFC across all age groups during high calorie food image viewing in a fasted state might reflect increased inhibitory control in response to these foods. This may underlie the ability to resist overconsumption of high calorie foods. Furthermore, increased medial prefrontal cortex activation during hunger might reflect increased reward value of high calorie foods, which declines with satiation. Further studies are needed to better understand these results. Notably, overweight and obese individuals should be included to examine whether these responses are altered by weight status across the life span.

Effect of speaker’s age on perceivers’ ability to predict rounding from AV speech

We have developed a noninvasive method that synthesizes the complex activity of speaking into a single measure to investigate the scope of anticipatory behavior as this relates to units of execution (Redford, Bogdanov, Vatikiotis-Bateson, 2016). The method leverages work in audio-visual speech perception to identify degree of anticipatory coarticulation at specific temporal locations, manipulated using a gating paradigm. The aim here was to test whether the method was robust to group differences in speakers’ age. Twenty-four college-aged adults judged the presence or absence of rounding in minimal pair sentences produced by 3 adults and 3 five-year-old children based on their AV-recorded speech, gated at different distances from the target rounded/unrounded vowel. Perceivers’ ability to correctly detect an upcoming rounded vowel varied as a function of the prevocalic consonant’s coarticulatory resistance and as a function of distance from target. There was no main effect of age group on perceivers’ accura...