Brain functional networks reorganization for maintaining gait abilities in aging

Abstract

Neural changes occurring at the molecular and functional levels in the brain as a function of age were reported by numerous studies. These age-related alterations manifest as local structural and metabolic changes and large-scale functional re-organization of neural circuits, and are accompanied by a decline in multiple cognitive and motor skills [1, 2]. However, the aging process is heterogeneous, varying extensively between individuals. A potential explanation for this variance relates to the concepts of brain reserve, cognitive reserve, and their contribution to brain resilience. Brain resilience is a broad term increasingly used to refer to [one’s] capacity to withstand and maintain functions in the face of aging or disease. Brain reserve (BR) is proposed to be one aspect of brain resilience, offering a quantifiable measure of the neurobiological characteristics of the underlying neural tissue (i.e., neuronal density, tissue volumes, etc.), regardless of ongoing degenerative processes in normal aging or other ensuing neurological conditions [3]