Midfrontal Theta and Cognitive Control During Interlimb Coordination Across the Adult Lifespan

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Human Aging
• Motor Control

Background:

• Interlimb coordination is crucial for daily activities.
• Aging negatively impacts interlimb coordination and quality of life.
• Understanding age-related neural mechanisms is vital.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate neurophysiological changes in interlimb reaction time tasks across the adult lifespan.
• Examine midfrontal theta power as a marker for cognitive control during simple and complex coordination.
• Identify age-related differences in neural responses to movement complexity.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 82 healthy adults (younger, middle-aged, older).
• Assessed behavioral performance (reaction time, error rate) in an interlimb reaction time task.
• Measured midfrontal theta power using electroencephalography (EEG) during simple and complex coordination modes.

Main Results:

• Reaction time increased and error rate was higher in older adults.
• Aging disproportionately affected reaction times in complex coordination modes, starting in middle age.
• Younger adults showed increased midfrontal theta power for complex vs. simple coordination; middle-aged and older adults did not.

Conclusions:

• Age-related decline in interlimb coordination is linked to impaired cognitive control.
• The lack of midfrontal theta power upregulation with complexity in older adults may indicate saturated mental resources.
• These findings highlight neural mechanisms underlying age-related coordination deficits.