Project R-14443

Why motor adaptation deteriorates in older adults: decoding a cerebellar-based network (Research)

Age-related changes in motor function reduce the ability of older adults to independently perform daily activities. These changes are in part due to difficulties in adapting motor patterns. Strikingly, we lack understanding of how aging affects the neural substrates involved in motor adaptation. In this project, I aim to unravel the cerebellar-prefrontal-motor cortex (CB-DLPFC-M1) network underlying motor adaptation via the cutting-edge combination of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG), better known as TMS-EEG. I will use TMS-EEG to assess effective connectivity of the CB-DLPFC-M1 network via two work packages and an equal number of studies. First, I aim to unveil the temporal characteristics of the CB-DLPFC-M1 network in younger and older adults in the context of motor adaptation. Second, based on the results of the first study, I will introduce a newly developed dual-site TMS-EEG approach to fully uncover the role of the CBDLPFC- M1 network during motor adaptation in younger and older adults. My ultimate goal is to gain a comprehensive understanding of how the CB-DLPFC-M1 network is involved in the age-related deterioration of motor adaptation. Not only can this increased understanding pave the way for future interventions aiming to ameliorate motor adaptation in older adults, my dual-site TMS-EEG approach could become a promising neuroscientific tool to address other neuroscientific research questions that have remained unanswered.

01 November 2023 - 31 October 2027