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Age-Related Deterioration of Coordinated Interlimb Behavior

^a Motor Control Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, K.U. Leuven, Belgium
^b Motor Control Laboratory, Arizona State University, Tempe

Deborah J. Serrien, who is now at the Department of Neurology, Inselspital, BHH M-133, CH-3010 Berne, Switzerland E-mail: debbie.serrien{at}insel.ch.

Decision Editor: Toni C. Antonucci, PhD

Younger and older participants performed two-limb coordination patterns of homologous (similar) and nonhomologous (dissimilar) effectors during 1:1 synchronization, according to the in-phase or anti-phase mode. The aim of the study was to examine age-related changes during the production of these basic movement patterns and their relative stability difference. The findings revealed that the aging process modulated the coordination dynamics as a function of effector system characteristics. Whereas the homologous system was resistant to age-related deficits, movements of the nonhomologous system showed coordinative degradation that was most apparent during execution of the anti-phase mode. The latter performance regression is argued to be an expression of age-dependent declines in cognitive regulation and afferent information processing. This implies that deterioration in coordinated behavior across the life span may be strongly task dependent because of a combined effect of cognitive and sensory components.