Age-specific effects of mirror-muscle activity on cross-limb adaptations under mirror and non-mirror visual feedback conditions.
Cross-limb transfer (CLT) describes the observation of bilateral performance gains due to unilateral motor practice. Previous research has suggested that CLT may be reduced, or absent, in older adults, possibly due to age-related structural and functional brain changes. Based on research showing inc...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2015-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnagi.2015.00222/full |
| _version_ | 1819274626768830464 |
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| author | Paola eReissig Paola eReissig Tino eStöckel Tino eStöckel Michael I. Garry Jeffery Joseph Summers Jeffery Joseph Summers Mark R. Hinder |
| author_facet | Paola eReissig Paola eReissig Tino eStöckel Tino eStöckel Michael I. Garry Jeffery Joseph Summers Jeffery Joseph Summers Mark R. Hinder |
| author_sort | Paola eReissig |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cross-limb transfer (CLT) describes the observation of bilateral performance gains due to unilateral motor practice. Previous research has suggested that CLT may be reduced, or absent, in older adults, possibly due to age-related structural and functional brain changes. Based on research showing increases in CLT due to the provision of mirror visual feedback (MVF) during task execution in young adults, our study aimed to investigate whether MVF can facilitate CLT in older adults, who are known to be more reliant on visual feedback for accurate motor performance. Participants (N = 53) engaged in a short-term training regime (300 movements) involving a ballistic finger task using their dominant hand, while being provided with either visual feedback of their active limb, or a mirror reflection of their active limb (superimposed over the quiescent limb). Bilateral performance was examined before, during and following the training. Furthermore, we measured corticospinal excitability (using TMS) at these time points, and assessed muscle activity bilaterally during the task via EMG; these parameters were used to investigate the mechanisms mediating and predicting CLT. Training resulted in significant bilateral performance gains that did not differ as a result of age or visual feedback (all ps > 0.1). Training also elicited bilateral increases in corticospinal excitability (p < 0.05). For younger adults, CLT was significantly predicted by performance gains in the trained hand (β = 0.47), whereas for older adults it was significantly predicted by mirror activity in the untrained hand during training (β = 0.60). The present study suggests that older adults are capable of exhibiting CLT to a similar degree to younger adults. The prominent role of mirror activity in the untrained hand for CLT in older adults indicates that bilateral cortical activity during unilateral motor tasks is a compensatory mechanism. In this particular task, MVF did not facilitate the extent of CLT. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T23:11:26Z |
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| id | doaj.art-6f5cb8faa9aa41c7b54aa0473b15f9c4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1663-4365 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T23:11:26Z |
| publishDate | 2015-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-6f5cb8faa9aa41c7b54aa0473b15f9c42022-12-21T17:26:39ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience1663-43652015-12-01710.3389/fnagi.2015.00222144374Age-specific effects of mirror-muscle activity on cross-limb adaptations under mirror and non-mirror visual feedback conditions.Paola eReissig0Paola eReissig1Tino eStöckel2Tino eStöckel3Michael I. Garry4Jeffery Joseph Summers5Jeffery Joseph Summers6Mark R. Hinder7University of TasmaniaUniversity of TasmaniaUniversity of TasmaniaUniversity of RostockUniversity of TasmaniaUniversity of TasmaniaLiverpool John Moores UniversityUniversity of TasmaniaCross-limb transfer (CLT) describes the observation of bilateral performance gains due to unilateral motor practice. Previous research has suggested that CLT may be reduced, or absent, in older adults, possibly due to age-related structural and functional brain changes. Based on research showing increases in CLT due to the provision of mirror visual feedback (MVF) during task execution in young adults, our study aimed to investigate whether MVF can facilitate CLT in older adults, who are known to be more reliant on visual feedback for accurate motor performance. Participants (N = 53) engaged in a short-term training regime (300 movements) involving a ballistic finger task using their dominant hand, while being provided with either visual feedback of their active limb, or a mirror reflection of their active limb (superimposed over the quiescent limb). Bilateral performance was examined before, during and following the training. Furthermore, we measured corticospinal excitability (using TMS) at these time points, and assessed muscle activity bilaterally during the task via EMG; these parameters were used to investigate the mechanisms mediating and predicting CLT. Training resulted in significant bilateral performance gains that did not differ as a result of age or visual feedback (all ps > 0.1). Training also elicited bilateral increases in corticospinal excitability (p < 0.05). For younger adults, CLT was significantly predicted by performance gains in the trained hand (β = 0.47), whereas for older adults it was significantly predicted by mirror activity in the untrained hand during training (β = 0.60). The present study suggests that older adults are capable of exhibiting CLT to a similar degree to younger adults. The prominent role of mirror activity in the untrained hand for CLT in older adults indicates that bilateral cortical activity during unilateral motor tasks is a compensatory mechanism. In this particular task, MVF did not facilitate the extent of CLT.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnagi.2015.00222/fullTranscranial Magnetic StimulationAgeingmirror therapycross-limb transferunilateral ballistic movement taskmirror muscle activity |
| spellingShingle | Paola eReissig Paola eReissig Tino eStöckel Tino eStöckel Michael I. Garry Jeffery Joseph Summers Jeffery Joseph Summers Mark R. Hinder Age-specific effects of mirror-muscle activity on cross-limb adaptations under mirror and non-mirror visual feedback conditions. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Ageing mirror therapy cross-limb transfer unilateral ballistic movement task mirror muscle activity |
| title | Age-specific effects of mirror-muscle activity on cross-limb adaptations under mirror and non-mirror visual feedback conditions. |
| title_full | Age-specific effects of mirror-muscle activity on cross-limb adaptations under mirror and non-mirror visual feedback conditions. |
| title_fullStr | Age-specific effects of mirror-muscle activity on cross-limb adaptations under mirror and non-mirror visual feedback conditions. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Age-specific effects of mirror-muscle activity on cross-limb adaptations under mirror and non-mirror visual feedback conditions. |
| title_short | Age-specific effects of mirror-muscle activity on cross-limb adaptations under mirror and non-mirror visual feedback conditions. |
| title_sort | age specific effects of mirror muscle activity on cross limb adaptations under mirror and non mirror visual feedback conditions |
| topic | Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Ageing mirror therapy cross-limb transfer unilateral ballistic movement task mirror muscle activity |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnagi.2015.00222/full |
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