@article{ref1,
title="Prefrontal cortex involvement during dual-task stair climbing in healthy older adults: an  fNIRS study",
journal="Brain sciences",
year="2021",
author="El Saddik, Abdulmotaleb and Laamarti, Fedwa and Dahroug, Lama and Fraser, Sarah and Kim, Hyejun and Tobón-Vallejo, Diana and Badawi, Hawazin and Aboualmagd, Ahmed and Salzman, Talia",
volume="11",
number="1",
pages="e71-e71",
abstract="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:  standing and responding to a response time task (SC), ascending or descending stairs  (SM(up), SM(down)); and a dual-task: responding while ascending or descending stairs  (DT(up), DT(down)). Prefrontal hemodynamic response changes (∆HbO2, ∆HbR) were  examined using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), gait speed was  measured using in-shoe smart insoles, and vocal response time and accuracy were  recorded. <br><br>FINDINGS revealed increased ∆HbO2 (p = 0.020) and slower response times (p  < 0.001) during dual- versus single tasks. ∆HbR (p = 0.549), accuracy (p = 0.135)  and gait speed (p = 0.475) were not significantly different between tasks or stair  climbing conditions. ∆HbO2 and response time findings suggest that executive  processes are less efficient during dual-tasks. These findings, in addition to gait  speed and accuracy maintenance, may provide insights into the neural changes that  precede performance declines. To capture the subtle differences between stair ascent  and descent and extend our understanding of the neural correlates of stair climbing  in older adults, future studies should examine more difficult cognitive tasks.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2076-3425",
doi="10.3390/brainsci11010071",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11010071"
}