Decline in Sensory Integration in Old Age and Its Related Functional Brain Connectivity Correlates Observed during a...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Gerontology
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Sensory integration is crucial for daily functioning, and its decline significantly affects the quality of life, especially in aging populations.
• Assessing sensory integration in older adults is vital for understanding age-related functional changes and developing interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a virtual reality (VR) arm-reaching task for assessing sensory integration in older adults.
• To investigate the association between performance on the VR reaching task and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in brain regions involved in sensory integration.

Main Methods:

• Developed a VR head-mounted display system for an arm-reaching task with varying cognitive loads.
• Collected behavioral data (gap angle) during the VR task from young/middle-aged and older adult groups.
• Acquired resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) data from older adults to analyze rsFC.

Main Results:

• Older adults exhibited significant individual differences in the gap angle during the VR reaching task, unlike younger participants.
• Performance on the reaching task in older adults was correlated with rsFC between the primary motor cortex and the left inferior temporal gyrus/temporo-occipital region.
• These specific brain connections are known to be involved in visuomotor integration.

Conclusions:

• The VR arm-reaching task, particularly the gap angle measure, is a valid index for assessing age-related decline in sensory integration.
• Visuomotor integration plays a significant role in the decline of sensory integration function observed in older adults.
• The findings highlight the potential of VR-based assessments for evaluating cognitive and sensory functions in aging.