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Age-related changes in oscillatory power affect motor action
Liqing Liu1,2, Nils Rosjat1,2, Svitlana Popovych1,2
1Heisenberg Research Group of Computational Neuroscience-Modeling Neural Network Function, Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Plos One
|November 28, 2017
Summary
Older adults show reduced beta-band amplitude in the medial prefrontal cortex during motor tasks, impacting movement accuracy. This neural change is linked to age-related declines in motor control.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Aging
- Motor Control
Background:
- Aging is associated with cognitive and motor performance decline.
- Reduced accuracy and slower execution of motor tasks are common in older adults.
- Neural mechanisms underlying age-related motor deficits require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify neural correlates of age-related slowing and reduced motor accuracy.
- To compare EEG activity between younger and older adults during a motor task.
- To investigate the role of specific neural oscillations in motor performance.
Main Methods:
- Continuous electroencephalography (EEG) recording from 18 younger and 24 older adults.
- Analysis of EEG power spectrum and phase locking in different frequency bands.
- Performance of a simple finger tapping task to assess motor accuracy and speed.
Main Results:
- Older adults exhibited significantly reduced post-movement beta-band (β) amplitude in sensory-motor and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) regions.
- Reduced β amplitude positively correlated with motor task accuracy at electrode FCz (mPFC/SMA).
- No significant correlation was found between delta-theta (δ-θ) phase locking and motor performance metrics.
Conclusions:
- Post-movement β amplitude, particularly in the mPFC, is crucial for controlling motor accuracy.
- Decreased β amplitude in older adults may indicate impaired mPFC deactivation, affecting cognitive control of motor tasks.
- δ-θ phase locking does not appear to be a primary factor in age-related motor accuracy deficits.
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