Key result
Older adults at high fall risk exhibited significantly greater dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity and increased stepping response time variability during a cognitively demanding Stroop stepping task compared to those at low fall risk.
Why the study?
Little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying impaired stepping and associated fall risk in older people.
Does a cognitively demanding stepping task elicit different cortical activity and stepping performance in older people at high versus low risk of falling?
Comparison
Stroop stepping task vs choice stepping reaction time test, and low vs high fall risk
Design
Cross-sectional comparative study
Authors
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May identify cortical correlates of stepping impairment in older adults; leaves open whether fNIRS metrics predict falls or inform interventions.
Cross-Sectional (n=95)
No
Does a cognitively demanding stepping task elicit different cortical activity and stepping performance in older people at high versus low risk of falling?
Absolute Event Rate: 0.055% vs 0.031%
p-value: p=0.047
Older adults at high risk of falling demonstrate increased prefrontal cortical activity and stepping variability during cognitively demanding tasks, suggesting a compensatory mechanism or neural inefficiency.
Pelicioni et al. (2021) conducted a cross-sectional in Fall risk (n=95). High fall risk vs. Low fall risk was evaluated on Relative oxyhemoglobin (HbO2) concentration in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during the Stroop stepping test (SST) (p=0.047). Older adults at high fall risk exhibited significantly greater dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity and increased stepping response time variability during a cognitively demanding Stroop stepping task compared to those at low fall risk.
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