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Functional connectivity underpinning changes in life-space mobility in older adults with mild cognitive impairment: A

Chun Liang Hsu1, Rachel Crockett1, Patrick Chan1

  • 1Aging, Mobility, and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Djavad Mowafaghian Center for Brain Health, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Center for Hip Health and Mobility, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Behavioural Brain Research
|October 10, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) show reduced life-space mobility. Increased connectivity between the default mode network (DMN) and sensori-motor network (SMN) is linked to this decline, suggesting disrupted brain function.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Gerontology
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in older adults is associated with subtle mobility changes.
  • Life-space mobility, representing environmental movement, is lower in MCI and linked to adverse outcomes.
  • The neural mechanisms underlying reduced life-space mobility in MCI remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the functional neural correlates of life-space mobility in community-dwelling older adults with MCI.
  • To examine the association between resting-state brain network connectivity and current life-space mobility.
  • To determine if baseline brain network connectivity predicts future decline in life-space mobility.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional analysis of 60 older adults with MCI, assessing default mode network (DMN) and sensori-motor network (SMN) connectivity against Life-Space Assessment (LSA) scores.
  • Utilized aggregated data from a randomized controlled trial and a prospective study.
  • Longitudinal analysis of 35 participants examined baseline DMN-SMN connectivity's predictive power for LSA score changes over 12 months.

Main Results:

  • Higher DMN-SMN connectivity correlated with lower LSA scores cross-sectionally (p < 0.01).
  • Participants showed a significant reduction in LSA scores over 12 months (p = 0.01).
  • Greater baseline DMN-SMN connectivity predicted a larger decrease in life-space mobility at 12 months (p = 0.04).

Conclusions:

  • Altered functional brain architecture, specifically increased DMN-SMN connectivity, may underlie reduced life-space mobility in older adults with MCI.
  • Disrupted neuro-cognitive and motor behaviors could contribute to the observed mobility decline.
  • Findings highlight the brain's functional connectivity as a potential factor in maintaining mobility in aging populations with cognitive changes.
Keywords:
Life-space mobilityOlder adultsResting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging

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