Prefrontal brain stability, key for action against disability in aging.
Network project partners and key network researchers involved
Project summary
Cognitive and mobility impairments are critical contributors to dementia and disability in older adults, and can be caused by neurodegenerative and neurovascular changes at the pre-frontal (PF) brain areas. In a previous technological project funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III, we adapted non-invasive, point-of-care optical methods (fNIRS/fDCS technology) to study PF metabolism and blood flow activation during cognitive and motor tasks, in older adults with and without cognitive impairment. These methods are sensitive to change after a bout of physical exercise (PE) and after selectively and safely stimulating PF areas with electrical transcranial direct current stimulation (tCS). PE and tCS have shown benefits for cognition and mobility in the elderly, but their prolonged effect on PF hemodynamic activation has not yet been studied. Understanding the specific action of these interventions on the brain, and their clinical cognitive and motor impact, is key to fine-tune appropriate treatment strategies.
We believe that our project, centered on aging and the prevention of dementia and disability, will provide, translationally, more evidence to support and enlarge the clinical application of these interventions, and will contribute to foster further research in this field.
Funding institutions
This project has received funding from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FRONT STAGE, PI19/00734).
