Article

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of normal aging on motor imagery vividness
and working memory. DESIGN: Descriptive study with 3 groups. SETTING: Laboratory
of a university-affiliated research rehabilitation center. PARTICIPANTS: A sample
of healthy persons (N=80) divided into 3 age groups: young (26+/-5.0 y),
intermediate (53.6+/-5.4 y), and elderly (67.6+/-4.6 y). INTERVENTIONS: Not
applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The kinesthetic and visual imagery scores of
the Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire and scores from 3 domains of
working memory (visuospatial, kinesthetic, verbal). RESULTS: Results revealed
that visual motor imagery scores were higher than kinesthetic scores (imagery
effect: P=.001); however, there was also a significant imagery x group
interaction (P=.017). Post hoc analyses showed that only the young and
intermediate groups had higher visual than kinesthetic motor imagery scores
(P=.005 and .001, respectively), indicating a loss of visual motor imagery
dominance in the elderly group. There was no group effect (P=.963) signifying
that the level of motor imagery vividness was comparable between age groups.
Significant decreases (17.3% and 22.5%, respectively) in visuospatial working
memory scores were found in the intermediate (P=.011) and elderly (P=.001)
groups, whereas a significant reduction (P=.01) in kinesthetic working memory
scores was observed only in the elderly group (26.7%). There was also an
age-related significant decline of visuospatial (r= -.50) and kinesthetic
(r=-.34) working memory. CONCLUSIONS: The level of motor imagery vividness does
not diminish with age, but the quality changes. The dominance of visual motor
imagery lessens with aging resulting in motor imagery modality-equivalence. These
motor imagery alterations are associated with an age-related decline in
visuospatial and kinesthetic working memory.
CI - Copyright 2010 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS