# Cerebral networks of locomotor learning and retention in older adults

> **NIH VA I01** · VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION · 2023 · —

## Abstract

Aging often leads to substantial declines in walking function, especially for walking tasks that are more
complex such as obstacle crossing. This is due in part to a lack of continued practice of complex walking
(sedentary lifestyle) combined with age-related deficits of brain structure and the integrity of brain networks.
Neurorehabilitation can contribute to recovery of lost walking function in older adults, but major and persistent
improvements are elusive. A cornerstone of neurorehabilitation is motor learning, defined as an enduring
change in the ability to perform a motor task due to practice or experience. Unfortunately, in most clinical
settings, the time and cost demands of delivering a sufficiently intensive motor learning intervention is not
feasible. There is a need for research to develop strategies for enhancing motor learning of walking
(“locomotor learning”) in order to improve the effectiveness of neurorehabilitation.
The objective of this study is to use non-invasive brain stimulation to augment locomotor learning and to
investigate brain networks that are responsible for locomotor learning in mobility-compromised older adults.
We have shown that frontal brain regions, particularly prefrontal cortex, are crucial to control of complex
walking tasks. Our neuroimaging and neuromodulation studies also show that prefrontal cortex structure and
network connectivity are important for acquisition and consolidation of new motor skills. However, a major gap
exists regarding learning of walking tasks. The proposed study is designed to address this gap. Our pilot data
from older adults shows that prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) administered during
learning of a complex obstacle walking task contributes to multi-day retention of task performance. In the
proposed study we will build upon this pilot work by conducting a full scale trial that also investigates
mechanisms related to brain structure, functional activity, and network connectivity. We will address the
following specific aims:
Specific Aim 1: Determine the extent to which prefrontal tDCS augments the effect of task practice for retention
of performance on a complex obstacle walking task.
Specific Aim 2: Determine the extent to which retention of performance is associated with individual differences
in baseline and practice-induced changes in brain measures (working memory, gray matter volume, task-
based prefrontal activity, and brain network segregation).
Specific Aim 3: Investigate the extent to which tDCS modifies resting state network segregation.
We anticipate that prefrontal tDCS will augment retention of locomotor learning, and that our data will provide
the first evidence of specific brain mechanisms responsible for locomotor learning/retention in older adults with
mobility deficits. This new knowledge will provide a clinically feasible intervention approach as well as reveal
mechanistic targets for future interventions to enhance locomotor learning...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10840772
- **Project number:** 5I01RX003115-05
- **Recipient organization:** VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
- **Principal Investigator:** David J Clark
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-05-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10840772

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10840772, Cerebral networks of locomotor learning and retention in older adults (5I01RX003115-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10840772. Licensed CC0.

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