Journal
QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
Volume 62, Issue 2, Pages 239-247Publisher
PSYCHOLOGY PRESS
DOI: 10.1080/17470210802269217
Keywords
Ageing; Bilateral activation; Motor overflow; Motor skills; Task demands
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This study investigated the influence of attentional and motor demands on motor overflow in 17 healthy young (18-35 years) and 17 older adults (60-80 years). Participants performed a finger pressing task by exerting either 33% or 66% of their maximal force output using their dominant or nondominant hand. Overflow was concurrently recorded in the passive hand. Attention was manipulated via a tactile stimulus presented to one or both hands for certain trials. Results showed that older adults exhibited greater overflow than young adults and that the effect of target force was exacerbated in older adults. Further, only older adult overflow was increased when tactile stimulation was directed to one or both hands. Increased overflow in older adults may result from bilateral cortical activation that is influenced by increased task demands. To perforin comparatively to younger adults, older adults may compensate for age-related brain changes by recruiting increased cortical network.
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