Cerebral Oxygenation During Gait in Elderly
Condition: Cerebral Oxygenation
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Ageing is accompanied by a cognitive decline altering gait and increasing the risk of
      falling. Physical activity could reduce this cognitive decline by an improvement in the
      oxygen supply to the brain. At the moment, the effect of physical activity on brain
      oxygenation during walking in elderly has never been described. Moreover, the increase in
      cognitive request during a dual task could lead to an increase in the risk of falling. In
      this context, the investigators of Orleans's hospital want to examine the effect of the
      physical activity level of elderly on their brain oxygenation during walking and during a
      dual task.

      Moreover, Parkinson' patients could display an impairment of gait and cognitive function.
      Attentional task and dual task situation are particularly impaired in this pathology. This is
      why the investigators of Orleans's hospital want to also examine cerebral activation of these
      patients during walking and during a dual task.

      The hemodynamic cerebral activation will be studied using the near infrared spectroscopy at
      the level of the prefrontal cortex. This non-invasive technic allows the evaluation of the
      regional oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin variations induced by cerebral activation.
    

Detailed description: 
      The main aim of the study is to determine the effect of the physical activity level on
      variations of the pre-frontal oxygenation during walking and during a dual task in elderly.
      The other aims are to study the effects of age, gender and the Parkinson' disease on
      variations of the pre-frontal oxygenation during walking and during a dual task in elderly.

      For that, 160 participants (females and males) will be included and 8 groups will be
      constituted (woman and man non active young people, woman and man non active old people,
      woman and man active old people, woman and man patients with Parkinson's disease).

      Every participants will performed a set of 6 tasks of 2 minutes. Each task will be separated
      by a 2 minutes resting period. The tasks will be a cognitive task, a control cognitive task,
      walking at 3 kilometers/hour, walking while doing the cognitive task, walking at the
      preferred speed, walking at the preferred speed while doing the cognitive task.

      During the set, prefrontal oxygenation will be measured using the near infrared spectroscopy.
    

Intervention name(s): walking; cognitive task
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): Every participants will performed a set of tasks of 2 min. Each task will be separated by a 2 min resting period. The tasks will be walking at 3 km/h, walking while doing the cognitive task, walking at the preferred speed, walking at the preferred speed while doing the cognitive task.; Every participants will performed a set of tasks of 2 min. Each task will be separated by a 2 min resting period. The tasks will be a cognitive task, a control cognitive task.
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Basic Science
Keywords: physical activity; cognitive function; elderly; parkinson; muscle oxygenation; gait parameters