The cognitive complexity of concurrent cognitive-motor tasks reveals age-related deficits in motor performance.

ABSTRACT: Aging reduces cognitive functions, and such impairments have implications in mental and motor performance. Cognitive function has been recently linked to the risk of falls in older adults. Physical activities have been used to attenuate the declines in cognitive functions and reduce fall incidence, but little is known whether a physically active lifestyle can maintain physical performance under cognitively demanding conditions. The aim of this study was to verify whether physically active older adults present similar performance deficits during upper limb response time and precision stepping walking tasks when compared to younger adults. Both upper limb and walking tasks involved simple and complex cognitive demands through decision-making. For both tasks, decision-making was assessed by i

SUBMITTER: Oliveira AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5904104 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature