Paulo Cezar Rocha Dos Santos1, Tibor Hortobágyi2, Inge Zijdewind3, Lilian Teresa Bucken Gobbi4, Fabio Augusto Barbieri5, Claudine Lamoth2. 1. University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Center for Human Movement Sciences, Groningen, the Netherlands; São Paulo State University (UNESP), Post-graduation Program in Movement Sciences, Institute of Biosciences, Posture and Gait Studies Laboratory (LEPLO), Rio Claro, Brazil. Electronic address: p.c.rocha.dos.santos@umcg.nl. 2. University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Center for Human Movement Sciences, Groningen, the Netherlands. 3. Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands. 4. São Paulo State University (UNESP), Post-graduation Program in Movement Sciences, Institute of Biosciences, Posture and Gait Studies Laboratory (LEPLO), Rio Claro, Brazil. 5. São Paulo State University (UNESP), Post-graduation Program in Movement Sciences, Human Movement Research Laboratory (MOVI-LAB), Department of Physical Education, Bauru, Brazil.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:Gait adaptability in old age can be examined by responses to various perturbations. Fatigability due to mental or muscle exercises can perturb internal cognitive and muscle resources, necessitating adaptations in gait. RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the effects of age and mental and muscle fatigability on stride outcomes and gait variability? METHODS:Twelve older (66-75yrs) and twelve young (20-25 yrs) adults walked at 1.2 m/s before and after two fatigue conditions in two separate sessions. Fatigue conditions were induced by repetitive sit-to-stand task (RSTS) and by 30-min of mental tasks and randomized between days (about a week apart). We calculated the average and coefficient of variation of stride length, width, single support, swing time and cadence, and the detrended fluctuations analysis (DFA) based on 120 strides time intervals. We also calculated multi-scale sample entropy (MSE) and the maximal Lyapunov exponent (λmax) of mediolateral (ML) and anteroposterior (AP) of the Center of Pressure (CoP) trajectories. RESULTS: In both age groups, RSTS modestly affected stride length, single support time, cadence, and CV of stride length (p ≤ 0.05), while the mental task did not affect gait. After fatigability, λmax - ML increased (p ≤ 0.05), independent of fatigue condition. All observed effects were small (η²: 0.001 to 0.02). SIGNIFICANCE: Muscle and mental fatigability had minimal effects on gait in young and healthy older adults possibly because treadmill walking makes gait uniform. It is still possible that age-dependent muscle activation underlies the uniform gait on the treadmill. Age- and fatigability effects might be more overt during real life compared with treadmill walking, creating a more effective model for examining gait and age adaptability to fatigability perturbations.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Gait adaptability in old age can be examined by responses to various perturbations. Fatigability due to mental or muscle exercises can perturb internal cognitive and muscle resources, necessitating adaptations in gait. RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the effects of age and mental and muscle fatigability on stride outcomes and gait variability? METHODS: Twelve older (66-75yrs) and twelve young (20-25 yrs) adults walked at 1.2 m/s before and after two fatigue conditions in two separate sessions. Fatigue conditions were induced by repetitive sit-to-stand task (RSTS) and by 30-min of mental tasks and randomized between days (about a week apart). We calculated the average and coefficient of variation of stride length, width, single support, swing time and cadence, and the detrended fluctuations analysis (DFA) based on 120 strides time intervals. We also calculated multi-scale sample entropy (MSE) and the maximal Lyapunov exponent (λmax) of mediolateral (ML) and anteroposterior (AP) of the Center of Pressure (CoP) trajectories. RESULTS: In both age groups, RSTS modestly affected stride length, single support time, cadence, and CV of stride length (p ≤ 0.05), while the mental task did not affect gait. After fatigability, λmax - ML increased (p ≤ 0.05), independent of fatigue condition. All observed effects were small (η²: 0.001 to 0.02). SIGNIFICANCE: Muscle and mental fatigability had minimal effects on gait in young and healthy older adults possibly because treadmill walking makes gait uniform. It is still possible that age-dependent muscle activation underlies the uniform gait on the treadmill. Age- and fatigability effects might be more overt during real life compared with treadmill walking, creating a more effective model for examining gait and age adaptability to fatigability perturbations.
Authors: Paulo Cezar Rocha Dos Santos; Claudine J C Lamoth; Lilian Teresa Bucken Gobbi; Inge Zijdewind; Fabio Augusto Barbieri; Tibor Hortobágyi Journal: Front Aging Neurosci Date: 2021-06-21 Impact factor: 5.750
Authors: Paulo Cezar Rocha Dos Santos; Claudine J C Lamoth; Fabio Augusto Barbieri; Inge Zijdewind; Lilian Teresa Bucken Gobbi; Tibor Hortobágyi Journal: Sci Rep Date: 2020-09-28 Impact factor: 4.379