Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Availability

Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Brain stimulation--Therapeutic use; Older people--Physiology; Age and intelligence;

Abstract

Purpose: To determine if acute application of transcranial direct current simulation (tDCS), administered via the Halo Sport device, influences performance during cognitive, balance, and a motor task in healthy older adults. In addition, the purpose was to determine if tDCS altered PFC activation during any of the three task domains. Methods: Twelve healthy older adults (50.4 ± 5.1 years old) volunteered to participate in two separate trials of cognitive, balance, and a motor task following 20 minutes of tDCS via the Halo Sport or a Sham condition. Results: There was a significant increase in performance of the non-dominant motor task when individuals received stimulation via the Halo Sport in comparison to the Sham condition. There were no significant differences in performance of the cognitive, balance, or dominant motor task following Halo Sport. There were also no changes in measurements in brain activation during any of the cognitive, balance, or motor tasks. Conclusion: These results indicate that the application of acute tDCS via Halo Sport does not induce changes in PFC activation or cognitive and balance performance but may improve performance of non-dominant hand motor tasks in healthy older adults. Future research could utilize the Halo Sport in rehabilitation scenarios to determine its impact on cross limb transfer.

Year of Submission

2021

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Kinesiology

First Advisor

Terence Moriarty, Chair

Date Original

5-2021

Object Description

1 PDF file (vii, 52 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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Geriatrics Commons

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