ABSTRACT
Objective:To explore any effect of brain aging on the brain′s walking network and its mechanism.Methods:Twenty healthy elderly people and 22 healthy young adults formed an elderly group and a youth group. All were evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Timed Up and Go test (TUGT), the 10-metre walk test (10MWT), the functional near infrared spectroscopy walking synchrony test and GaitRite gait parameters. The intensity of functional connections and the gait parameters of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the primary motor cortex (MC) were compared between the two groups.Results:Compared with the youth group, the average cadence of the elderly group was significantly faster. The FC value of the RPFC in the homologous ROI, as well as those of the RMC-RPFC and RPFC-LPFC in the heterologous ROI of the elderly group were significantly lower than in the youth group.Conclusions:Lower FC values in the RPFC and its associated brain regions in the elderly during normal walking may be what activates the brain′s walking network in the early stage of brain aging.