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Aging and the time and frequency structure of force output variability
David E Vaillancourt1, Karl M Newell
1School of Kinesiology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60608, USA. court1@uic.edu
Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)
|February 7, 2003
Summary
Aging impacts force output complexity. Task demands influence whether older adults show less or more complex force control, particularly in low-frequency movements.
Area of Science:
- Human motor control
- Aging and neuroscience
- Biomechanical analysis
Background:
- Force output complexity changes with age.
- External task demands may modulate age-related complexity alterations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-dependent changes in force output complexity.
- To determine the influence of external task demands on these age-related changes.
Main Methods:
- Healthy young, old, and older-old adults performed isometric force contractions.
- Tasks included constant and sine wave force targets at varying levels.
- Time and frequency analyses assessed force output structure.
Main Results:
- Force variability increased with advancing age.
- Older adults exhibited less complex force output in constant tasks and more complex in sine wave tasks.
- Age-related alterations were primarily linked to low-frequency bands (<4 Hz).
Conclusions:
- Age-related changes in physiological complexity are influenced by the time scale of external task demands.
- Task characteristics modulate the expression of age-related changes in motor control.