Environmental Challenges and the Aging Brain: Implications for Community Mobility

流动性限制是常见的，而且代价高昂。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， 必须考虑个人与环境的关系，以充分了解移动性如何 局限性出现了。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建立， 通常没有研究与环境挑战有关的问题。这项建议的第一个目的是 描述CNS特征、外周贡献者和社区之间的关系- 一群居住在社区的老年人面临的环境挑战。第二个目的 将开发和验证基于实验室的环境挑战，反映实际的性能， 社区环境。该提案包含了几项创新，使我能够 更好地评估老化的大脑如何影响现实世界环境挑战的谈判：1） 在实验室利用社区环境挑战测试社区流动性2）使用 可穿戴式无线功能近红外光谱（fNIRS），用于评估 参与者行走时大脑的变化，以及3）多模式神经成像方法， 将fNIRS的功能测量与结构成像相结合。成功 完成本研究后，我提出了四个训练目标：1）掌握步态测量技能， 实验室和真实的世界; 2）成为近红外光谱在移动中的使用专家 研究; 3）获得仪器开发和测试方面的高级技能;以及4）继续 培养领导能力和专业技能。这些培训目标将帮助我实现我的 近期目标是建立大脑老化与社区限制之间的关系 流动性以及我更好地了解社区贡献者的长期目标 流动性，以便为未来的干预战略提供信息。这项研究将建立 CNS功能与基于社区的环境谈判之间的关联 挑战，将建立在未来的研究中使用的工具的有效性，并将提供证据 采取新的干预战略，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.