title: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) brain imaging of multi-sensory integration during computerized dynamic posturography in middle-aged and older adults.
abstract: Studies suggest that aging affects the sensory re-weighting process, but the neuroimaging evidence is minimal. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a novel neuroimaging tool that can detect brain activities during dynamic movement condition. In this study, fNIRS was used to investigate the hemodynamic changes in the frontal-lateral, temporal-parietal, and occipital regions of interest (ROIs) during four sensory integration conditions that manipulated visual and somatosensory feedback in 15 middle-aged and 15 older adults. The results showed that the temporal-parietal ROI was activated more when somatosensory and visual information were absent in both groups, which indicated the sole use of vestibular input for maintaining balance. While both older adults and middle-aged adults had greater activity in most brain ROIs during changes in the sensory conditions, the older adults had greater increases in the occipital ROI and frontal-lateral ROIs. These findings suggest a cortical component to sensory re-weighting that is more distributed and requires greater attention in older adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. linch14@ecu.edu.|Department of Physical Therapy, East Carolina University, Health Sciences Building, 2405D, Mail Stop 668, Greenville, NC, 27834, USA. linch14@ecu.edu.
authors.forename: Chia-Cheng
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0973-8242
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Barker
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.|Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Sparto
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.|Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Furman
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Theodore J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Huppert
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D056228:Feedback, Sensory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010108:Oxyhemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared
chemical_list: D010108:Oxyhemoglobins
keywords: Aging; Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS); Sensory re-weighting