Accuracy-speed-stability trade-offs in a targeted stepping task are similar in young and older adults

Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

Aging Neuroscience

Maarten Afschrift¹  Sylvie Arnalsteen²  Friedl De Groote²  Cas Daenens²  Wouter Muijres² 

[1] Department of Human Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands;Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium;Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium;

关键词: task requirements;    postural control;    voluntary stepping;    locomotion;    motor control;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fnagi.2023.1130707

 received in 2022-12-23, accepted in 2023-02-24,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

IntroductionStepping accuracy, speed, and stability are lower in older compared to young adults. Lower stepping performance in older adults may be due to larger accuracy-speed-stability trade-offs because of reduced ability to simultaneously fulfill these task-level goals. Our goal was to evaluate whether trade-offs are larger in older compared to young adults in a targeted stepping task. Since sensorimotor function declines with age, our secondary goal was to evaluate whether poorer sensorimotor function was associated with larger trade-offs.MethodsTwenty-five young (median 22 years old) and 25 older (median 70 years old) adults stepped into projected targets in conditions with various levels of accuracy, speed, and stability requirements. We determined trade-offs as the change in performance, i.e., foot placement error, step duration, and mediolateral center of pressure path length, between each of these conditions and a control condition. To assess age-related differences in the magnitude of trade-offs, we compared the change in performance between age groups. Associations between trade-offs and measures of sensorimotor function were tested using correlations.ResultsWe found an accuracy-speed and an accuracy-stability trade-off in both young and older adults, but trade-offs were not different between young and older adults. Inter-subject differences in sensorimotor function could not explain inter-subject differences in trade-offs.ConclusionAge-related differences in the ability to combine task-level goals do not explain why older adults stepped less accurate and less stable than young adults. However, lower stability combined with an age-independent accuracy-stability trade-off could explain lower accuracy in older adults.

【 授权许可】

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Copyright © 2023 Muijres, Arnalsteen, Daenens, Afschrift and De Groote.