When Movement and Thinking Compete: Reserve and Frailty in Older Age

Walking, thinking and maintaining balance depend on interacting neural, physiological and motor resources, yet these systems are frequently studied separately in ageing research. Cognitive-motor interference, motoric cognitive risk syndrome, cognitive frailty, physical frailty and intrinsic capacity have emerged from different traditions but all address, in different ways, vulnerability when the capacity to adapt to challenge is reduced. These constructs are related but are not interchangeable. A central concept linking them may be functional reserve: the capacity available to maintain or adapt performance when demands increase.This Research Topic will examine whether challenging the cognitive-motor system can provide insight into functional reserve, frailty and resilience in older age. Cognitive-motor interference is one important experimental paradigm and mechanistic lens, rather than the sole focus of the Topic. We are particularly interested in how current physiological state, task prioritization, executive control, movement automaticity, neural function, muscle function and sensory integrity influence performance when individuals are challenged. Functional reserve may also be investigated by comparing observed performance under challenge with that expected from age, health, previous function and clinical history.Relevant studies may investigate whether responses to cognitive-motor or other functional challenges change as frailty develops or improves, respond to intervention, predict recovery following illness, surgery or hospitalization, or provide information beyond motor and cognitive assessments performed separately. Studies examining recovery following illness, surgery or hospitalisation are welcome where cognition, behaviour, neural function or cognitive-motor adaptation forms a substantive component of the research, rather than focusing only on perioperative outcomes.We welcome studies addressing, but not limited to, the following themes: - Cognitive-motor interference, dual-task performance, attention and executive control- Neural mechanisms of movement automaticity and adaptation to challenge- Cognitive, physical and combined frailty, intrinsic capacity and functional reserve- Gait, balance, standing, chair rise, perturbation or slip recovery, upper-limb tasks and ecologically relevant activities- Neuroimaging, electrophysiology, psychophysiology, muscular, sensory and other physiological measures that explain adaptation, reserve and vulnerability in relation to cognition, behavior, neural function or cognitive-motor performance- Cognitive-motor interventions and longitudinal studies of frailty, decline, recovery and resilience- Prediction studies and secondary analyses of existing cohorts that demonstrate added value beyond separate motor and cognitive assessmentsStudies should have a substantive ageing-related cognitive, behavioral, neural or cognitive-motor component. For studies in which cognition is a primary construct, or in which conclusions concern specific cognitive domains, appropriate domain-specific cognitive measures should be used. Brief screening instruments such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) or Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) may be appropriate for participant characterization, eligibility or when justified by the research question, but should not normally provide the sole basis for domain-specific cognitive conclusions. Where relevant, authors should report performance separately across task conditions and describe task-prioritization instructions.We welcome Original Research, Brief Research Report, Review, Systematic Review including meta-analyses, Methods, Study Protocol, Perspective, Hypothesis and Theory, Opinion, General Commentary, Data Report, Mini Review, Technology and Code, and FAIR² Data articles. Submissions may include longitudinal studies, secondary analyses of existing cohorts and prediction models, provided they address the cognitive, behavioral, neural or cognitive-motor mechanisms of aging. Topic editors: Emad Al-Yahya, Helen Dawes, Jennifer Muhaidat Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86510/when-movement-and-thinking-compete-reserve-and-frailty-in-older-age