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Executive function moderates the role of muscular fitness in determining functional mobility in older adults

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Abstract

Background and aims

Both physical and cognitive factors are known to independently predict functional mobility in older people. However, the combined predictive value of both physical fitness and cognitive factors on functional mobility has been less investigated. The aim of the present study was to assess if cognitive executive functions moderate the role of physical fitness in determining functional mobility of older individuals.

Methods

Fifty-seven 65- to 75-year-old healthy participants performed tests of functional mobility (habitual and maximal walking speed, maximal walking speed while picking up objects/stepping over obstacles), physical fitness (peak power, knee extensors torque, back/lower limb flexibility, aerobic fitness), and executive function (inhibition and cognitive flexibility).

Results

Maximal walking speeds were predicted by physical fitness parameters and their interaction with cognitive factors. Knee extensor torque emerged as the main predictor of all tested locomotor performances at maximal speed. The effect of peak power and back/lower limb flexibility was moderated by executive functions. In particular, inhibition and cognitive flexibility differed in the way in which they moderate the role of fitness. High levels of cognitive flexibility seem necessary to take advantage of leg power for walking at maximal speed. In contrast, high levels of inhibitory capacity seem to compensate for low levels of back/lower limb flexibility when picking up movements are added to a locomotor task.

Conclusions

These findings may have important practical implications for the design and implementation of multi-component training programs aimed at optimizing functional abilities in older adults.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by funding received from the “Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology”. The authors wish to thank Sheena Murphy and Josianne Rodrigues Krause for their help during training and testing sessions.

Conflict of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Sport and Health, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Roberta Forte, Giuseppe De Vito & Colin A. G. Boreham

  2. Department of Human Motion and Sport Science, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, Piazza L. De Bosis 15, 00135, Rome, Italy

    Roberta Forte & Caterina Pesce

  3. Institute of Food and Health, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Joao Costa Leite & Eileen R. Gibney

  4. Department of Kinesiology, University of Georgia, Athens, USA

    Phillip D. Tomporowski

Authors
  1. Roberta Forte
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  2. Caterina Pesce
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  3. Joao Costa Leite
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  4. Giuseppe De Vito
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  5. Eileen R. Gibney
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  6. Phillip D. Tomporowski
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  7. Colin A. G. Boreham
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Correspondence to Caterina Pesce.

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Forte, R., Pesce, C., Leite, J.C. et al. Executive function moderates the role of muscular fitness in determining functional mobility in older adults. Aging Clin Exp Res 25, 291–298 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-013-0044-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-013-0044-7

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