Godde Ben, Trautmann Mireille, Erhard Peter, Voelcker-Rehage Claudia
Department of Psychology and Methods, Jacobs University, Bremen, Germany; Jacobs Center on Lifelong Learning & Institutional Development, Jacobs University, Bremen, Germany; Center for Cognitive Sciences, University of Bremen, Germany.
Jacobs Center on Lifelong Learning & Institutional Development, Jacobs University, Bremen, Germany; Blicklabor, Schwarzwaldstraße 13, 79117 Freiburg, Germany.
J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2018 Feb;38:224-231. doi: 10.1016/j.jelekin.2017.12.005. Epub 2017 Dec 24.
Learning new motor skills is important for everyday life and independent living in older age. While studies on motor sequence learning and motor adaptation revealed age differences that are mostly related to frontal decline with increasing age, data for fine finger force modulation are missing. Twelve young (YA, 18-28 years) and twelve middle-aged older (OA, 55-65 years) adults practiced a force modulation task in precision grip while lying in a 3T MR scanner. Participants followed a sine wave between 5 and 25% of their maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) at a frequency of 0.3 Hz. Ten trials of 30 s were performed to examine learning curves and related changes in Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) responses were assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Training slopes were similar for YA and OA, with only a trend for differences in performance level. Both age groups revealed decreasing activations with practice in frontal and parietal regions as well as in the cerebellum. Particularly, the hippocampus was activated in initial trials, but activity immediately decreased with practice. Increase in activation during practice was found only for YA in occipital cortex, cingulate cortex, and thalamus. After practice, OA revealed a pattern similar to the one that YA showed before practice. Described differences between YA and OA in neural activation related to motor practice may indicate compensational mechanisms in OA to enable similar learning slopes as in YA.
学习新的运动技能对老年人的日常生活和独立生活很重要。虽然关于运动序列学习和运动适应的研究揭示了年龄差异，这些差异大多与随着年龄增长额叶功能衰退有关，但关于精细手指力量调节的数据却缺失。12名年轻人（YA，18 - 28岁）和12名中年老年人（OA，55 - 65岁）躺在3T磁共振成像（MR）扫描仪中进行精确抓握时的力量调节任务。参与者以0.3赫兹的频率在其最大自主收缩（MVC）的5%至25%之间跟随正弦波。进行了10次30秒的试验以检查学习曲线，并通过功能磁共振成像（fMRI）评估血氧水平依赖（BOLD）反应的相关变化。YA组和OA组的训练斜率相似，仅在表现水平上有差异趋势。两个年龄组在练习过程中额叶、顶叶以及小脑区域的激活都减少。特别是，海马体在初始试验中被激活，但随着练习活动立即减少。仅在年轻人的枕叶皮质、扣带回皮质和丘脑区域发现练习过程中激活增加。练习后，中年老年人呈现出与年轻人练习前相似的模式。所描述的年轻人和中年老年人在与运动练习相关的神经激活方面的差异可能表明中年老年人存在补偿机制，以使其学习斜率与年轻人相似。
