High Intensity Intermittent Exercise Plays a Role in Improving Brain Activation During Complex Executive Functional Tasks

Several neuroimaging studies have examined the effect of different types and combinations of exercises on activation of brain associated with cognitive testing but none of these studies have examined the role of high intensity intermittent exercise …

Age-related decline in visuo-spatial working memory is reflected by dorsolateral prefrontal activation and cognitive capabilities

Introduction: Visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM) performances undergo a decline throughout aging and are affected by the space in which the task is performed (reaching or navigational). Cerebral oxygenation and cognitive capabilities could explain …

An fNIRS examination of executive function in bilingual young children

Aims: The present study aims to examine: (1) the relationship between young children's bilingualism and their performance in the Dimensional Card Change Sort (DCCS) task; and (2) whether prefrontal activation was associated with children's …

Effect of dark chocolate supplementation on tissue oxygenation, metabolism, and performance in trained cyclists at altitude

Dark chocolate (DC) is high in flavonoids and has been shown to increase nitric oxide in the blood. Increased nitric oxide has the potential to improve delivery of oxygen to muscle, especially in hypoxic conditions, such as altitude. Our aim was to …

A functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) examination of how self-initiated sequential movements become automatic

The neural mechanisms underlying movement automaticity have been investigated using PET and fMRI and more recently functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). As fNIRS is an emerging technique, the objective of the present study was to replicate …

A Cross-species Model of Dual-Task Walking in Young and Older Humans and Rats

Introduction: Dual-task walking is common in daily life but becomes more difficult with aging. Little is known about the neurobiological mechanisms affecting competing cognitive demands. Translational studies with human and animal models are needed …

Age-related prefrontal cortex activation in associative memory: An fNIRS pilot study

Older adults typically perform more poorly than younger adults in free recall memory tests. This age-related deficit has been linked to decline of brain activation and brain prefrontal lateralization, which may be the result of compensatory …

Dopaminergic therapy and prefrontal activation during walking in individuals with Parkinson's disease: does the levodopa overdose hypothesis extend to gait?

The “levodopa-overdose hypothesis” posits that dopaminergic replacement therapy (1) increases performance on tasks that depend on the nigrostriatal-pathway (e.g., motor-control circuits), yet (2) decreases performance on tasks that depend upon the …

Exercise-Based cardiac rehabilitation modulates prefrontal cortex oxygenation during submaximal exercise testing in cardiovascular disease patients

The purpose of this study was to investigate if prefrontal cortex (PFC) oxygenation during incremental exercise is altered among cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients who completed 6 weeks of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR). Nineteen (male …

Identification of the cognitive interference effect related to stroop stimulation: Using dynamic causal modeling of effective connectivity in functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fnirs)

Background: The Stroop test is a well-known model to denote the decline in performance under the incongruent condition, which requires selective attention and control of competitive responses. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy can identify …

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. …

Which obstacle attributes place additional demands on higher-level cognitive function in patients with Parkinson's disease?

Background: Previous reports show that patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) rely on prefrontal activation to compensate for impaired motor function during complex activities such as obstacle negotiation. However, the influence of the properties of …

Neurophysiological Variations in Food Decision-Making within Virtual and Real Environments

Simple lifestyle changes such as improving one's diet and getting sufficient exercise could significantly reduce the risk of developing obesity and related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer. However, changing eating …

Exercise intensity influences prefrontal cortex oxygenation during cognitive testing

Activation changes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) regions have been linked to acute exercise-induced improvements in cognitive performance. The type of exercise performed may influence PFC activation, and further impact cognitive function. The …

Treading on the unknown increases prefrontal activity: A pilot fNIRS study

Background: Complex walking conditions (e.g. dual tasking) have been associated with increased prefrontal (PFC) activity. However, most paradigms include a predictable environment, specifically, a predictable walking terrain. In the present study we …

Cerebral oxygenation declines but does not impair peak oxygen uptake during incremental cycling in women using oral contraceptives

Purpose: To compare prefrontal cortex oxygenation in recreationally-active women using oral contraceptives (WomenOC; n = 8) to women with a natural menstrual cycle (WomenNC; n = 8) during incremental exercise to exhaustion. Methods: Participants …

Reduced motor cortex inhibition and a ‘cognitive-first' prioritisation strategy for older adults during dual-tasking

It is well established that older adults are less able to perform attentionally demanding motor tasks, placing them at greater risk of accident-related injury. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate whether the interplay between …

Sensory manipulation results in increased dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation during static postural balance in sedentary older adults: An fNIRS study

Background: The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is involved with allocating attentional resources to maintain postural control. However, it is unknown whether age-related structural and functional declines of the DLPFC may impair postural …

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 …

Evidence for Differential Effects of 2 Forms of Exercise on Prefrontal Plasticity During Walking in Parkinson's Disease

Background. In a randomized control trial conducted in patients with Parkinson's disease, a treadmill training program combined with virtual reality that targeted motor and cognitive aspects of safe ambulation led to fewer falls, compared with …