Citation

Nagamatsu LS, Munkacsy M, Liu-Ambrose T, Handy TC. Neuropsychologia 2013; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4. Electronic address: todd@psych.ubc.ca.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2013.10.002

PMID

24513444

Abstract

Executive cognitive functions play a critical role in falls risk - a pressing health care issue in seniors. In particular, intact attentional processing is integral for safe mobility and navigation. However, the specific contribution of impaired visual-spatial attention in falls remains unclear. In this study, we examined the association between visual-spatial attention to task-irrelevant stimuli and falls risk in community-dwelling older adults. Participants completed a visual target discrimination task at fixation while task-irrelevant probes were presented in both visual fields. We assessed attention to left and right peripheral probes using event-related potentials (ERPs). Falls risk was determined using the valid and reliable Physiological Profile Assessment (PPA). We found a significantly positive association between reduced attentional facilitation, as measured by the N1 ERP component, and falls risk. This relationship was specific to probes presented in the left visual field and measured at ipsilateral electrode sites. Our results suggest that fallers exhibit reduced attention to the left side of visual space and provide evidence that impaired right hemispheric function and/or structure may contribute to falls.

Language: en