Elderly Falling Easiness Focused on Visuospatial Cognitive Function

Research Project

Project/Area Number	17K13063
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Research Field	Rehabilitation science/Welfare engineering
Research Institution	Hiroshima University (2022) Prefectural University of Hiroshima (2017-2021)
Principal Investigator	Takamiya Naomi 広島大学, 脳・こころ・感性科学研究センター, 研究員 (70723469)
Project Period (FY)	2017-04-01 – 2023-03-31
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2022)
Budget Amount *help	¥4,160,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥960,000) Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000) Fiscal Year 2018: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000) Fiscal Year 2017: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000)
Keywords	視覚誘発電位 / 後部頭頂葉 / 身体機能 / 有酸素運動 / 自己運動知覚 / 易転倒性 / 老化 / 神経科学 / リハビリテーション
Outline of Final Research Achievements	Early detection and treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can delay the onset of these diseases. Aerobic exercise has been shown to be effective in slowing the progression of these diseases. In this study, visual evoked potentials (VEPs), a highly sensitive biomarker for early detection of MCI, were used to evaluate the function of the posterior parietal lobes, which are damaged during the MCI stage. Results showed that VEPs were significantly correlated with memory and cadence scores in a 6-minute walk test in community-dwelling elderly subjects. In addition, the study revealed that moderate- and low-intensity aerobic exercise had an immediate effect on VEPs in young, healthy subjects.
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	高齢者の易転倒性は，1）視空間認知機能の低下，2)身体・物体中心座標系の機能低下，3)自己移動感覚認知の低下による可能性がある．しかし，これらがどういう影響を及ぼすのか，また, その相互作用の詳細は不明である．そこで，optic flow刺激による, 行動指標，視覚誘発電位の評価を行い，姿勢制御に関わる神経基盤の解明と加齢の影響を検討する．本研究により身体機能が正常であっても，視覚認知機能低下による転倒リスクが高い高齢者の予測が可能となり，新たな治療介入手段の導入に貢献できる．また，身体活動や身体機能による視覚誘発電位の即時的な変化を検証し，その相互作用性と神経基盤解明の一助となり得る．