Aging is associated with structural and functional changes in the brain, leading to declines in executive function, attention, and memory. While aerobic or whole-body exercise has been shown to slow cognitive decline, less attention has been paid to the effects of fine motor movements on brain activation. Hand exercises engage the primary motor and sensory cortices and cognitive areas, suggesting their potential as low-intensity interventions to improve cognitive function. Therefore, this study aims to investigate brain activation induced by finger movements in older adults, hoping to provide valuable insights for developing practical and feasible cognitive enhancement strategies. All fifteen healthy older adults in this study completed eight tasks, each using different fingers to apply flexion/extension forces to trace a force ramp with a handheld device that enabled the user to perform a spherical power grasp. Cortical activity was measured using a near-infrared spectroscopy system. Regions of interest included the prefrontal cortex (PFC), supplementary motor area (SMA), premotor cortex (PMC), and primary motor area (M1). Significantly greater activation was observed in left M1, left PFC, and left PMC during thumb-index finger opposition movements compared with single finger flexion and extension, possibly because using the thumb and index finger together to control steady force might be more complex. Additionally, due to the device's design, performing thumb-index finger opposition is challenging, resulting in significantly higher activation of the right prefrontal areas. The thumb-index finger opposition task designed in this study has great potential for enhancing cognitive health in older adults.

Authors:
Chien-Ju Lin, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
Hsiao-Feng Chieh, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
Fong-Chin Su, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
Kuei-Yi Wu, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Lin is an Assistant Researcher at the Medical Device Innovation Center in National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan. Dr. Lin’s research has focused on rehabilitation, human biomechanics, and medical device innovation.

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