![Gender Differences in Walking Among Seniors]()
Albert Einstein College of Medicine scientists had previously shown that older people who do poorly on dual-task walking tests (walking while talking) face an increased risk for falls, disability and death. But it wasn’t known whether gender and stress influence how the brain responds to the demands of dual-task walking. A study by Roee Holtzer, Ph.D., and colleagues assessed older men and women during both walking and dual-task walking. When confronted with the demands of dual-task walking, older men were more vulnerable than older women to the effect that perceived stress has on their walking velocity and the oxygenation levels in their pre-frontal cortex (which controls executive functions). The study, published online on December 28, 2016, in the European Journal of Neuroscience, suggests that tests for assessing whether people prone are to mobility impairments should include measures of stress. Dr. Holtzer is a professor in the Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology.
Posted on: Thursday, January 19, 2017