Open AccessPredicting Motor Skill Learning in Older Adults Using Visuospatial Performance
Author(s) -
Peiyuan Wang,
Frank J. Infurna,
Sydney Y. Schaefer
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of motor learning and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.929
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 2325-3215
pISSN - 2325-3193
DOI - 10.1123/jmld.2018-0017
Subject(s) - psychology , cognition , motor learning , motor skill , task (project management) , executive functions , developmental psychology , elementary cognitive task , cognitive decline , effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance , audiology , cognitive psychology , dementia , medicine , management , disease , pathology , neuroscience , economics
Between-group comparisons of older and younger adults suggest that motor learning decreases with advancing age. However, such comparisons do not necessarily account for group differences in cognitive function, despite the co-occurrence of aging and cognitive decline. As such, cognitive differences may explain the observed age effects on motor learning. Recent work has shown that the extent to which a motor task is learned is related to visuospatial function in adults over age 65. The current study tested whether this relationship is replicable across a wider age range and with a brief, widely available cognitive test. Thirty-three adults (aged 39-89 years old) completed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) prior to practicing a functional upper extremity motor task; performance on the motor task was assessed 24 hours later to quantify learning. Backward elimination stepwise linear regression identified which cognitive domains significantly predicted retention. Consistent with previous findings, only the Visuospatial/Executive subtest score predicted change in performance 24 hours later, even when accounting for participant age. Thus, the age-related declines in motor learning that have been reported previously may be explained in part by deficits in visuospatial function that can occur with advancing age.