Cerebral Networks of Locomotor Learning and Retention in Older Adults

Detailed Summary

Older adults often experience substantial deficits in walking ability, especially for walking tasks that are more complex such as obstacle crossing. This is due in part to changes in the brain that make performance of physical and cognitive tasks more difficult. Rehabilitation can help to improve walking ability, but effective rehabilitation is time consuming and expensive. New approaches are needed to improve the efficiency of rehabilitation so that gains in walking ability are widely attainable. A promising strategy is to focus on enhancing motor learning, which is defined as improved ability to perform a motor task due to practice or experience. The investigators will investigate the use of non-invasive brain stimulation to increase motor learning and retention of the newly learned walking skills. The investigators will also use neuroimaging to assess brain characteristics that explain how motor learning works. The knowledge gained from this study is expected to contribute to better understanding of mechanistic targets and intervention approaches to improve rehabilitation of walking.

Study Details

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Interventions