Sensorimotor Synchronization in Healthy Aging and Neurocognitive Disorders

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Gerontology

Background:

• Sensorimotor synchronization (SMS) is crucial for interpersonal coordination and event prediction.
• Research on SMS interventions primarily focuses on Parkinson's disease, with less known about other neurodegenerative disorders.
• Understanding SMS in aging and neurocognitive disorders (NCDs) is vital for developing music-based interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the brain and cognitive mechanisms underlying SMS with auditory stimuli.
• To examine how these mechanisms change in healthy and pathological aging.
• To highlight research gaps concerning SMS in various NCDs.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on sensorimotor synchronization, aging, and neurocognitive disorders.
• Analysis of cognitive and neural mechanisms involved in auditory-driven SMS.
• Comparison of SMS performance across different age groups and NCDs.

Main Results:

• SMS with isochronous sounds is relatively well-preserved in older adults and patients with NCDs.
• Natural tapping speed decreases with age.
• Synchronization to slow tempi may be less precise in older adults and individuals with NCDs, potentially due to reduced attention and working memory capacity.

Conclusions:

• While basic SMS is often maintained, age-related declines in tapping speed and precision at slow tempi are observed.
• The impact of NCD severity and specific etiologies on sensorimotor abilities requires further investigation.
• Future research should explore SMS with complex auditory stimuli like music and include patients with moderate to severe NCDs.