Division of Cognitive & Motor Aging
Ongoing Dedication to Excellence in Cognitive, Sensory, & Motor Aging Research
The Division of Cognitive and Motor Aging is focused on advancing the highest quality research to improve quality of life for older adults.
We conduct research to improve the health of older adults in local, national and global communities, and investigate global issues and trends in disability and dementia among older adults.
Areas of Concentration
To advance our mission, we identify novel markers of Alzheimer’s disease that foster cutting-edge interventions aimed at decreasing disability and maintaining functional independence and we develop innovative and translational research tools to improve motor outcomes like balance, gait and falls.
Our focus on innovation includes developing and testing novel interventions that promote positive aging and prevent cognitive and functional decline in older adults.
We work as a multidisciplinary team to foster clinical, basic science, and imaging research collaborations within and outside our institution, and train the next generation of students, residents, fellows and junior faculty.
Research Procedures
Gait Velocity is quantitatively assessed using a 20-foot instrumented walkway (GAITRite System®) with sensor pads. Participants will be assessed while walking on the gait mat at their everyday pace. The GAITRite system is widely used in clinical and research settings, and excellent inter-rater and test-retest reliability (kappa >0.9) have been reported in our studies. Additional gait measures, including gait initiation and center or mass/pressure levels, can be collected on our M2 mat (GAITRite System ®) that allows recording of continuous walking and turns as participants walk in loops.
Balance is quantitatively assessed using a balance analysis system that is strapped around the participants’ waists. We use systems that offer precise recordings of angular deviations and angular velocities of the trunk, near the body’s center of mass, in a highly sensitive manner. Standardized stairway and balance areas are available for conducting additional mobility assessments, including the short performance battery which included unipedal stance, an additional balance measure.
Treadmill training is widely used to improve gait. We have the ability to implement treadmill walking training protocols based on the recommendations of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA) for older adults. In a recent pilot study, participants completed three training sessions per week over eight weeks, for a total 24 sessions. The training started with five minutes of warm-up walking at a comfortable speed. Then, the speed was gradually increased to a workload level deemed ‘somewhat hard’ (13 on Borg scale8) by the participants, for two 15-minute sessions, with one to two minute breaks in between (30 minutes in total), followed by a five minute cool down. Pulse and blood pressure were assessed before and after each session to assure a safe range (<70% of predicted maximum heart rate).
We have the ability to measure prefrontal cortical activation (oxygenation and deoxygenation), in older adults while they are in motion. The fNIRS sensor, developed in the Drexel Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, consists of a reusable flexible circuit board that is attached to the participant’s forehead. The sensor consists of four LED light sources and teb detectors, which cover the forehead using 16 voxels with a source-detector separation of 2.5 cm. The 16-channel sensor has a temporal resolution of 500 ms per scan with a 2.5 cm source-detector separation allowing for approximately 1–1.25 cm penetration depth, which has been used to detect hemodynamic changes in response to cognitive challenges.
Multisensory integration (MSI) is not fully understood in aging, and its relation to cognitive and motor function has not been fully evaluated, though our robust research findings reveal significant associations between visual-somatosensory integration and balance, gait speed, falls, and attention. Participants receive combinations of visual, somatosensory, and auditory stimuli as they perform simple reaction time and complex higher-order computerized tests.
Clinical Trials
This multi-center study will help scientists better understand the biological underpinnings of motoric cognitive risk syndrome.
The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a 5-minute screen (5-Cog) to identify persons at high risk of developing dementia, and to flag them for further evaluation.
This study will focus on risk factors and brain substrates of pre-dementia syndromes, especially motoric cognitive risk syndrome.
This double-blind, sham controlled randomized clinical trial will focus on the development of novel treatment approaches for Alzheimer’s disease, particularly those that pose minimal risk of adverse effects in a medically fragile population.
The goal of this study is to evaluate the role of exceptional longevity traits and genotypes in decreasing risk of developing frailty and age-related declines in key physical function constituents such as gait, balance, and strength.
A study to compare and contrast trajectories of functional and structural brain changes with gait and cognitive decline in cognitively-healthy older adults, and older adults in the early stages of cognitive decline.
This study aims to determine the neurobiological substrates of visual-somatosensory integration in aging, and the association of such enhancement with various motor outcomes in older adults.
