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Frontoparietal function and underlying structure reflect capacity for motor skill acquisition during healthy aging
Sarah N Kraeutner1, Cristina Rubino2, Jennifer K Ferris3
1Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada; Djavad Mowafaghian, Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Neurobiology of Aging
|November 2, 2023
Summary
Healthy aging impacts motor skill learning. Brain function changes differently in older adults, and white matter structure influences learning speed, revealing age-related differences in motor skill acquisition capacity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Motor Control
Background:
- Motor skill acquisition capacity changes with age.
- Limited understanding of how brain changes influence motor learning in older adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- Examine age-dependent functional reorganization in frontoparietal regions during motor skill acquisition.
- Investigate the relationship between motor skill acquisition capacity and baseline white matter microstructure in frontoparietal tracts.
Main Methods:
- Healthy older and younger adults underwent 4 weeks of skilled motor practice.
- Resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) measured functional reorganization before and after practice.
- Diffusion tensor imaging assessed baseline white matter microstructure in frontoparietal tracts.
Main Results:
- Motor skill acquisition correlated with decreased rsFC in older adults and increased rsFC in younger adults.
- Older adults exhibited lower frontoparietal tract microstructure compared to younger adults.
- Frontoparietal tract microstructure negatively associated with the rate of skill acquisition across all participants.
Conclusions:
- Age-dependent alterations in frontoparietal functional connectivity are linked to motor skill acquisition.
- Baseline white matter microstructure in frontoparietal tracts reflects an individual's capacity for motor skill acquisition, irrespective of age.
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