Hemodynamic and behavioral changes in older adults during cognitively demanding dual tasks

Introduction: Executive functions play a fundamental role in walking by integrating information from cognitive-motor pathways. Subtle changes in brain and behavior may help identify older adults who are more susceptible to executive function deficits …

Prefrontal cortex involvement during dual-task stair climbing in healthy older adults: An fNIRS study

Executive function and motor control deficits adversely affect gait performance with age, but the neural correlates underlying this interaction during stair climbing remains unclear. Twenty older adults (72.7 ± 6.9 years) completed single tasks: …

Levodopa Facilitates Prefrontal Cortex Activation During Dual Task Walking in Parkinson Disease

Background. Although dopaminergic medication improves dual task walking in people with Parkinson disease (PD), the underlying neural mechanisms are not yet fully understood. As prefrontal cognitive resources are involved in dual task walking, …

Changes in Cortical Activation during Dual-Task Walking in Individuals with and without Visual Vertigo

Background and Purpose: Persons with vestibular disorders are known to have slower gait speed with greater imbalance and veering during dual-task walking than healthy individuals, but the cerebral mechanisms are unknown. The purpose of this study was …

Prefrontal Cortex Activity and Gait in Parkinson's Disease With Cholinergic and Dopaminergic Therapy

Degradation of striatal dopamine in Parkinson's disease (PD) may initially be supplemented by increased cognitive control mediated by cholinergic mechanisms. Shift to cognitive control of walking can be quantified by prefrontal cortex activation. …

Prefrontal Cortex Activity During Walking: Effects of Aging and Associations With Gait and Executive Function

Background: Declines in gait parameters are common with aging and more pronounced in tasks with increased executive demand. However, the neural correlates of age-related gait impairments are not fully understood yet. Objectives: To investigate (a) …

Prefrontal Cortical Activation with Open and Closed-Loop Tactile Cueing When Walking and Turning in Parkinson Disease: A Pilot Study

Background and Purpose: Gait and turning impairments are common in people with Parkinson disease (PwPD). Tactile cues delivered in open- or closed-loop modalities may improve gait and turning in PwPD, but underlying mechanisms are unclear. Attention …

Prefrontal cortex activation during obstacle negotiation: What's the effect size and timing?

Background: Obstacle negotiation is a daily activity that requires the integration of sensorimotor and cognitive information. Recent studies provide evidence for the important role of prefrontal cortex during obstacle negotiation. We aimed to explore …

Treadmill walking reduces pre-frontal activation in patients with Parkinson's disease

Background: Among patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), gait is typically disturbed and less automatic. These gait changes are associated with impaired rhythmicity and increased prefrontal activation, presumably in an attempt to compensate for …

When is Higher Level Cognitive Control Needed for Locomotor Tasks Among Patients with Parkinson's Disease?

Turning has been implicated as a complex task that requires both motor and cognitive resources. Accumulating evidence shows that patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) require more steps and more time to complete a turn, however, the role of the …

Effects of aging on prefrontal brain activation during challenging walking conditions

Background Deficits in cognitive domains, in particular, those related to the prefrontal cortex, contribute to diminished walking performance in complex conditions in older age. Studies using functional near infra-red spectroscopy (fNIRS) reported …

Measuring prefrontal cortical activity during dual task walking in patients with Parkinson's disease: Feasibility of using a new portable fNIRS device

Background: Many patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) have difficulties in performing a second task during walking (i.e., dual task walking). Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a promising approach to study the presumed contribution …

The Role of the Frontal Lobe in Complex Walking among Patients with Parkinson's Disease and Healthy Older Adults: An fNIRS Study

Background. Gait is influenced by higher order cognitive and cortical control mechanisms. Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has been used to examine frontal activation during walking in healthy older adults, reporting increased oxygenated …

Associations between prefrontal cortex activation and H-reflex modulation during dual task gait

Walking, although a largely automatic process, is controlled by the cortex and the spinal cord with corrective reflexes modulated through integration of neural signals from central and peripheral inputs at supraspinal level throughout the gait cycle. …

Cortical control of normal gait and precision stepping: An fNIRS study

Recently, real time imaging of the cortical control of gait became possible with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). So far, little is known about the activations of various cortical areas in more complex forms of gait, such as precision …

Increased frontal brain activation during walking while dual tasking: An fNIRS study in healthy young adults

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that gait is influenced by higher order cognitive and cortical control mechanisms. Recently, several studies used functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to examine brain activity during walking, …