Environmental Challenges and the Aging Brain: Implications for Community Mobility

移动性限制很常见，成本也很高。社区流动性是一种个人的运动 发生在家庭之外，发生在复杂的环境中。因此，它们之间的相互作用 必须考虑到有环境的个人才能充分理解移动性 限制就会出现。亚临床中枢神经系统(CNS)异常与 没有神经系统疾病的老年人的活动能力开始得到确立，但 通常没有与环境挑战相关的研究。这项建议的第一个目的是 描述CNS特征、外围贡献者和社区之间的关系- 一组居住在社区的老年人面临的环境挑战。第二个目标 将开发和验证基于实验室的环境挑战，以实际反映性能 社区环境。这项提议包含了几项创新，将使我能够 更好地评估大脑老化如何影响现实世界环境挑战的谈判：1) 在实验室中使用基于社区的环境挑战来测试社区移动性2)使用 可穿戴式无线功能近红外光谱(FNIRS)用于功能评估 参与者行走时的大脑变化以及3)一种多模式神经成像方法 将fNIRS的功能测量与结构成像相结合。为了成功 完成这项研究，我提出了四个培训目标：1)获得步态测量技能 实验室和现实世界；2)成为在机动性方面使用近红外光谱的专家 研究；3)获得仪器开发和测试方面的高级技能；4)继续 培养领导力和专业技能。这些培训目标将帮助我实现我的 在社区中建立脑老化与局限性之间关系的近期目标 移动性以及我更好地了解社区贡献者的长期目标 机动性，以便为未来的干预战略提供信息。这项研究将建立 中枢神经系统功能与社区环境协商的关系 挑战，将确定工具在未来研究中使用的有效性，并将提供证据 制定新的干预战略，以改善老年人的社区流动性。

Mobility limitations are common and costly. Community mobility is an individual’s movement that occurs outside the home and occurs within complex environments. Therefore, the interactions of an individual with the environment must be considered to fully understand how mobility limitations arise. The association of subclinical central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities with mobility in older adults free from neurologic disease is beginning to be established but is typically not studied in relation to environmental challenges. The first aim of this proposal is to characterize the relation between CNS characteristics, peripheral contributors, and community- based environmental challenges in a group of community-dwelling older adults. The second aim will develop and validate lab-based environmental challenges that reflect performance in actual community environments. This proposal incorporates several innovations that will allow me to better assess how the aging brain affects negotiation of real-world environmental challenges: 1) use of community-based environmental challenges in the lab to test community mobility 2) use of wearable, wireless functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) for assessment of functional brain changes while participants are walking and 3) a multimodal neuroimaging approach that combines functional measurements from fNIRS with structural imaging. To successfully complete this research, I propose four training aims: 1) Acquire skills in measurement of gait in the lab and the real world; 2) Become an expert in use of near-infrared spectroscopy in mobility research; 3) Acquire advanced skills in in instrument development and testing; and 4) Continue to develop leadership and professional skills. These training aims will help me to achieve my immediate goals of establishing the relation between brain aging and limitations in community mobility as well as my long term goals of better understanding the contributors to community mobility in order to inform future intervention strategies. This research will establish the association between CNS function and negotiation of community-based environmental challenges, will establish the validity of tools for use in future studies, and will provide evidence towards novel intervention strategies to improve community mobility of older adults.