title: Aging, the Central Nervous System, and Mobility in Older Adults: Neural Mechanisms of Mobility Impairment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mobility is crucial for successful aging and is impaired in many older adults. We know very little about the subtle, subclinical age-related changes in the central nervous system (CNS) that mediate mobility impairment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A conference series focused on aging, the CNS, and mobility was launched. The second conference addressed major age-associated mechanisms of CNS-mediated mobility impairment. Speakers and conference attendees recommended key areas for future research, identified barriers to progress, and proposed strategies to overcome them.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Priorities identified for future research include (a) studying interactions among different mechanisms; (b) examining effects of interventions targeting these mechanisms; (c) evaluating the effect of genetic polymorphisms on risks and course of age-related mobility impairment; and (d) examining the effect of age on CNS repair processes, neuroplasticity, and neuronal compensatory mechanisms. Key strategies to promote research include (a) establish standard measures of mobility across species; (b) evaluate the effect of aging in the absence of disease on CNS and mobility; and (c) use advanced computational methods to better evaluate the interactions between CNS and other systems involved in mobility.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CNS is a major player in the process, leading to mobility decline with aging. Future research in this area has the potential to prolong independence in older persons. Better interactions among disciplines and shared research paradigms are needed to make progress. Research priorities include the development of innovative approaches to integrate research on aging, cognition, and movement with attention to neurovascular function, neuroplasticity, and neurophysiological reserve.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Stroke Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. fsorond@partners.org.
authors.forename: Farzaneh A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Sorond
authors.affiliation: Institute on Aging, Department of Aging and Geriatric Research, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville.
authors.forename: Yenisel
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cruz-Almeida
authors.affiliation: Brain Rehabilitation Research Center, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System, Department of Aging and Geriatric Research, University of Florida, Gainesville.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Stroke Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston.
authors.forename: Anand
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Viswanathan
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Clemens R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Scherzer
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Jager
authors.affiliation: Reynolds Oklahoma Center on Aging, Department of Geriatric Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Csiszar
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Laurienti
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel.
authors.forename: Jeffery M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hausdorff
authors.affiliation: Sensory and Motor Disorders of Aging and.
authors.forename: Wen G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Longitudinal Studies Section, National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Luiggi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferrucci
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rosano
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Stephanie A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Studenski
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Canada.
authors.forename: Sandra E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Black
authors.affiliation: Institute for Aging Research, Research, Hebrew Senior Life, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Lewis A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Lipsitz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000503:physiopathology; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic
keywords: Aging; CNS; Imaging; Mobility