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. 2023 Feb;35(2):407-411.
doi: 10.1007/s40520-022-02306-6. Epub 2022 Nov 19.

Asthma history influences gait performance and associated prefrontal cortex activation patterns in older adults

Roee Holtzer  1   2 , Jonathan M Feldman  3   4 , Sunit P Jariwala  5 , Meltem Izzetoglu  6
Affiliations

Asthma history influences gait performance and associated prefrontal cortex activation patterns in older adults

Roee Holtzer et al. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2023 Feb.

Abstract

Walking and cognition are interrelated due to dependence on shared brain regions that include the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Limited literature indicates that asthma is associated with poor mobility in older adults but the mechanisms underlying this relationship are unknown. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that asthma history was associated with poor gait performance due to limited attention resources and neural inefficiency. Participants, older adults age ≥ 65 years reporting positive (n = 36) and negative (n = 36) history of asthma, walked under single and dual-task conditions with a functional near-infrared-spectroscopy (fNIRS) sensor placed on their forehead to assess task-related changes in PFC oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2). Results showed that positive asthma history was associated with slower gait and higher fNIRS-derived HbO2 under dual-task walking. These findings suggest that limited attention resources and neural inefficiency underlie the association between asthma and poor walking performance in older adults.

Keywords: Aging; Asthma; Dual task; Functional near-infrared spectroscopy; Gait; Prefrontal cortex.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement: Dr. Izzetoglu has a very minor share in the company that manufactures the fNIRS device used in this study. All other authors have no conflicts of interest to report in relation to the current article.

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:. Effects of Asthma on the Levels and Change in fNIRS-Derived HbO2 Across Walking Task Conditions
Light Gray – Asthma group; Dark Gray – Control group STW: Single-Task-Walk DTW: Dual-Task-Walk
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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