Effects of age simulation and age on motor sequence learning: Interaction of age-related cognitive and motor decline

• Published in: Human movement science Vol. 87; p. 103025
• Main Authors: Vieweg, Janine, Panzer, Stefan, Schaefer, Sabine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.02.2023
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aging; Aging - psychology; Cognition; Humans; Information processing; Learning; Motor learning; Simulation suit; Young Adult; Aging; Simulation suit; Motor learning; Information processing
• ISSN: 0167-9457; 1872-7646
• DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2022.103025

Aging is known to lead to decrements in sensory and cognitive functioning and motor performance. The purpose of the present experiment was twofold: a) We assessed the influence of wearing an age simulation suit on motor sequence learning, cognitive speed tasks and far visual acuity in healthy, younger adults. b) We evaluated the interaction of cognitive aging and declining motor sequence learning in older adults. In a between-subjects design we tested 11 younger adults (Mage = 23.6 years) without the age suit, 12 younger adults wearing the age suit (Mage = 23.2 years), and 23 older adults (Mage = 72.6 years). All participants learned a simple, spatial-temporal movement sequence on two consecutive days, and we assessed perceptual processing speed (Digit Symbol Substitution test and Figural Speed test) and far visual acuity. Wearing an age simulation suit neither affected the learning of the simple motor sequence nor the performance at the cognitive speed tasks in younger adults. However, far visual acuity suffered from wearing the suit. Younger adults with and without the suit showed better motor sequence learning compared to older adults. The significant correlations between the cognitive speed tests and the motor learning performance in older adults indicated that cognitive aging partially explains some of the variance in age-related motor learning deficits. [Display omitted] •An age simulation suit does not affect the learning of a simple movement sequence.•Wearing an age simulation suit impairs far visual acuity in young adults.•Young adults show superior motor learning compared to old adults.•Interaction of cognitive aging and deficits in motor learning in old adults.•Speed of information processing partially predicts motor learning in old adults.