Department of Radiology, Angers University Hospital, University of Angers, Angers, France.
Laboratoire Angevin de Recherche en Ingénierie des Systèmes, EA7315, University of Angers, Angers, France.
Hum Brain Mapp. 2022 Feb 1;43(2):833-843. doi: 10.1002/hbm.25691. Epub 2021 Nov 5.
A better understanding of gait disorders that are associated with aging is crucial to prevent adverse outcomes. The functional study of gait remains a thorny issue due to technical constraints inherent to neuroimaging procedures, as most of them require to stay supine and motionless. Using an MRI-compatible system of boots reproducing gait-like plantar stimulation, we investigated the correlation between age and brain fMRI activation during simulated gait in healthy adults. Sixty-seven right-handed healthy volunteers aged between 20 and 77 years old (49.2 ± 18.0 years; 35 women) were recruited. Two paradigms were assessed consecutively: (a) gait-like plantar stimulation and (b) chaotic and not gait-related plantar stimulation. Resulting statistical parametric maps were analyzed with a multiple-factor regression that included age and a threshold determined by Monte-Carlo simulation to fulfill a family-wise error rate correction of p < .05. In the first paradigm, there was an age-correlated activation of the right pallidum, thalamus and putamen. The second paradigm showed an age-correlated deactivation of both primary visual areas (V1). The subtraction between results of the first and second paradigms showed age-correlated activation of the right presupplementary motor area (Brodmann Area [BA] 6) and right mid-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (BA9-10). Our results show age-correlated activity in areas that have been associated with the control of gait, highlighting the relevance of this simulation model for functional gait study. The specific progressive activation of top hierarchical control areas in simulated gait and advancing age corroborate a progressive loss of automation in healthy older adults.
更好地理解与衰老相关的步态障碍对于预防不良后果至关重要。由于神经影像学程序固有的技术限制，步态的功能研究仍然是一个棘手的问题，因为大多数程序需要保持仰卧和静止不动。我们使用一种与 MRI 兼容的靴子系统来复制类似步态的足底刺激，研究了健康成年人模拟步态时年龄与大脑 fMRI 激活之间的相关性。我们招募了 67 名右利手健康志愿者，年龄在 20 至 77 岁之间（49.2±18.0 岁；35 名女性）。连续评估了两种范式：（a）类似步态的足底刺激和（b）混沌且与步态无关的足底刺激。使用包含年龄和通过蒙特卡罗模拟确定的阈值的多因素回归分析了产生的统计参数图，以满足 p<0.05 的全方差错误率校正。在第一个范式中，右侧苍白球、丘脑和壳核的激活与年龄相关。第二个范式显示双侧初级视觉区域（V1）的年龄相关去激活。第一个和第二个范式结果的差值显示右侧辅助运动前区（Brodmann 区[BA]6）和右侧中背外侧前额叶皮质（BA9-10）的年龄相关激活。我们的结果显示与步态控制相关的区域与年龄相关的活动，突出了这种模拟模型在功能步态研究中的相关性。在模拟步态和年龄增长中，高级控制区域的特定进行性激活证实了健康老年人自动化的逐渐丧失。
