Novel Modalities for Uncovering Brain Mechanisms Underlying Cognitive and Motor Functions

Chair(s)

• 

  Sarah Fraser, PhD (she/her/hers)

  Associate Professor
  Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences
  University of Ottawa
  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

  Slides

Co-Chair(s)

• AR

  Andrea Rosso, MPH, PhD (she/her/hers)

  Associate Professor
  Epidemiology
  University of Pittsburgh
  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Discussant(s)

• TL

  Teresa Liu-Ambrose, PhD, PT (she/her/hers)

  Professor
  Physical Therapy
  University of British Columbia
  University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada

Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

• 

  Talia Salzman, MSc (she/her/hers)

  PhD candidate
  Human Kinetics
  University of Ottawa
  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
• AR

  Andrea Rosso, MPH, PhD (she/her/hers)

  Associate Professor
  Epidemiology
  University of Pittsburgh
  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
• 

  Caterina Rosano, MD, MPH (she/her/hers)

  Tenured Professor
  Epidemiology
  University of Pittsburgh
  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
• 

  Teresa Tian, PhD, MS (she/her/hers)

  Associate Scientist
  Translational Gerontology Branch
  National Institute on Aging
  Baltimore, Maryland, United States

It is now well-established that age-related declines in cognitive and motor functions co-occur and that shared neural resources are involved. However, details of these neural resources are still largely unknown, limiting development of effective prevention and intervention strategies. This symposium aims to answer: What can neuroimaging tell us about subjective cognitive decline and what changes in gait and mitochondrial function are associated with changes in the brain? How does dopamine alter these associations and help promote resilience in the brain? A series of recent studies using neuroimaging technologies aimed to answer these questions and provide new information on neural resources: (1) Salzman et al. will share their work using functional near infra-red spectroscopy (fNIRS) and dual-task tapping to explore cerebral oxygenation differences in older adults with and without subjective cognitive decline; (2) Rosso et al. explored if neural inefficiency or compensation measured by fNIRS during dual-task walking was influenced by dopamine binding using Positron Emission Tomography (PET); (3) Rosano et al. employed PET to explore associations between dopaminergic binding and gait speed changes when transitioning to an uneven surface; and finally (4) Tian et al. examined the relationship between skeletal muscle mitochondrial function via MR Spectroscopy and longitudinal brain structural changes via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and DTI data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging. Each of these studies contributes to the evidence base on neuroimaging correlates of cognitive and motor function and helps us to understand what factors foster resilience and maintenance of these functions with age.

Presentations:

• 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM PST

  Subjective Cognitive Decline: Fine Motor Dual-Task Outcomes and Changes in Cerebral Oxygenation
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Talia Salzman, MSc (she/her/hers) – University of Ottawa
• 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM PST

  Relation of Prefrontal Cortex Function With Dual-Task Gait Depends on Postdorsal Caudate Dopamine
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Andrea L. Rosso, MPH, PhD (she/her/hers) – University of Pittsburgh
• 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM PST

  Gait Slowing on Transition to Uneven Surfaces: Dopaminergic Neurotransmission and Peripheral System Risk Factors
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Caterina Rosano, MD, MPH (she/her/hers) – University of Pittsburgh
• 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM PST

  Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Function and Longitudinal Changes in Brain Structure
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Teresa Tian, PhD, MS (she/her/hers) – National Institute on Aging