Mentally represented motor actions in normal aging. I. Age effects on the temporal features of overt and covert execution of actions

• Published in: Behavioural brain research Vol. 165; no. 2; pp. 229 - 239
• Main Authors: SKOURA, Xanthi, PAPAXANTHIS, Charalambos, VINTER, Annie, POZZO, Thierry
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Science 07.12.2005
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aging - physiology; Analysis of Variance; Biological and medical sciences; Cognition. Intelligence; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Imagination - physiology; Intention; Male; Mental imagery. Mental representation; Motor control and motor pathways. Reflexes. Control centers of vegetative functions. Vestibular system and equilibration; Motor Skills - physiology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Task Performance and Analysis; Time Factors; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Human; Motor prediction; Senescence; Mental representation; Arm movement; Prediction; Sit-stand-sit; Cognition; Motor imagery; Locomotion; Aging; Movement timing; Timing; Arm; Age

The present study examines the temporal features of overt and covert actions as a function of normal aging. In the first experiment, we tested three motor tasks (walking, sit-stand-sit, arm pointing) that did not imply any particular spatiotemporal constraints, and we compared the duration of their...