Increased cortical activation and enhanced functional connectivity in the prefrontal cortex ensure dynamic postural...

By analyzing the cortical activation and functional connectivity of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during dual-task obstacle negotiation in the older adults, cognitive resources allocation and neural regulatory mechanisms of aging brain were shed light on in complex walking conditions.

Twenty-eight healthy right-handed subjects participated in the study, including 15 men and 13 women (age: 68.6 ± 4.1 years, height: 162.96 ± 6.05 cm, weight: 63.63 ± 9.64 kg). There were four tasks: Normal Walk (NW), Obstacle Negotiation during Normal Walk (NW + ON), Walk while performing Cognitive Task (WCT), and Obstacle Negotiation during Walk while performing Cognitive Task (WCT + ON). Participants wore functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to collect hemodynamic signals from various regions of interest (ROIs) in the PFC, while the three-dimensional motion capture system was used to test the gait velocity. Cognitive task data was recorded.

In WCT + ON, the HbO₂ concentration change value (△HbO₂) of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was significantly greater than that in the other three tasks (p < 0.05), and the△HbO₂ of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was significantly greater than that in NW + ON (p < 0.05). The gait velocities in the four tasks were significantly different (p < 0.05) (NW > WCT > NW + ON > WCT + ON). There was no significant difference in cognitive performance between in the WCT and WCT + ON (p > 0.05). In WCT + ON, the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal areas had strong functional connectivity and the left frontal pole was most widely connected to the other ROIs. Compared to that in NW, the functional connectivity of the left prefrontal lobe was significantly enhanced in WCT + ON (p < 0.05).

As walking difficulty increased, the PFC activation in the older adults changed from right-sided to bilateral activation, indicating that the left PFC cognitive resources compensated for the right PFC in dual-task obstacle negotiation. The cognitive resources recruitment in dual-task obstacle negotiation might be achieved by synchronization and coordination of associated brain areas in the PFC, primarily to maintain dynamic postural balance when walking.