Experimental Pain Phenotype Profiles in Community-dwelling Older Adults.

Objectives: Pain sensitivity and the brain structure are critical in modulating pain and may contribute to the maintenance of pain in older adults. However, a paucity of evidence exists investigating the link between pain sensitivity and brain morphometry in older adults. The purpose of the study was to identify pain sensitivity profiles in healthy, community-dwelling older adults using a multimodal quantitative sensory testing protocol and to differentiate profiles based on brain morphometry.

Somatosensory impairment of the feet is associated with higher activation of prefrontal cortex during walking in older adults.

Background: Over-activation of prefrontal cortex during walking has been reported in older adults versus young adults. Heighted activity in prefrontal cortex suggests a shift toward an executive control strategy to control walking. A potential contributing factor is degraded functioning of pattern-generating locomotor circuits in the central nervous system that are important to walking coordination.

Effects of Prefrontal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Retention of Performance Gains on an Obstacle Negotiation Task in Older Adults.

Objectives: Complex walking in older adults can be improved with task practice and might be further enhanced by pairing transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. We tested the hypothesis that a single session of practice of a complex obstacle negotiation task paired with active tDCS in older adults would produce greater within-session improvements in walking performance and retention of gains, compared to sham tDCS and no tDCS conditions.

Materials And Methods: A total of 50 older adults (mean age = 74.

Adaptability and Resilience in Aging Adults (ARIAA): protocol for a pilot and feasibility study in chronic low back pain.

Background: Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is the leading cause of disability among older adults and one of the top reasons for seeking healthcare, resulting in significant decrements in physical functioning. Because older adults are among the fastest growing cohorts in the USA, both the incidence and burden of cLBP are expected to increase considerably, rendering geriatric pain management a top health priority. Resilience is defined as a process allowing individuals to adapt and recover from adverse and stressful conditions, and it has been highlighted as a crucial factor in positive health-related functioning.

Pain and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in Aging.

Objective: The present study aimed to determine whether specific cognitive domains part of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) are significantly lower in community-dwelling older adults with chronic pain compared with older adults without pain and whether these domains would be associated with self-reported pain, disability, and somatosensory function.

Design: Secondary data analysis, cross-sectional.

Setting: University of Florida.

Obstacle Negotiation in Older Adults: Prefrontal Activation Interpreted Through Conceptual Models of Brain Aging.

Background And Objectives: The influence of interindividual differences on brain activation during obstacle negotiation and the implications for walking performance are poorly understood in older adults. This study investigated the extent to which prefrontal recruitment during obstacle negotiation is explained by differences in age, executive function, and sex. These data were interpreted according to the Compensation-Related Utilization of Neural Circuits Hypothesis (CRUNCH) framework of brain aging.

Combining Frontal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation With Walking Rehabilitation to Enhance Mobility and Executive Function: A Pilot Clinical Trial.

Objectives: This pilot study assessed whether frontal lobe transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with complex walking rehabilitation is feasible, safe, and shows preliminary efficacy for improving walking and executive function.

Materials And Methods: Participants were randomized to one of the following 18-session interventions: active tDCS and rehabilitation with complex walking tasks (Active/Complex); sham tDCS and rehabilitation with complex walking tasks (Sham/Complex); or sham tDCS and rehabilitation with typical walking (Sham/Typical). Active tDCS was delivered over F3 (cathode) and F4 (anode) scalp locations for 20 min at 2 mA intensity.

Age and pain differences in non-verbal fluency performance: Associations with cortical thickness and subcortical volumes.

Musculoskeletal pain is a cause of disability in older individuals and is commonly associated with executive function deficits. In particular, verbal fluency deficits have been previously reported in older individuals with and without musculoskeletal pain, however, no studies have examined non-verbal fluency. The present study investigated non-verbal fluency performance in younger and older individuals and associations with clinical and experimental pain.