An Integrated Mobile Wireless System for Capturing Physiological Data Streams during a Cognitive-motor Task: Applications for Aging

Cognitive, motor and perceptual processes diminish with age and thus limit adaptive capabilities of older individuals. Our hypothesis is that with aging there is decreased expression of these proactive adaptive capabilities. These experiments were designed to test this hypothesis by implementing an integrated approach to quantifying physiological characteristics in older individuals. We are working towards building an integrated wireless motion capture and physiological data monitoring system to quantify and data mine various physiologic and motoric streams in a controlled experimental environment. In this paper, synchronized motion capture and EMG data was obtained in young and old subjects performing a cognitive-motor task. We show that some, but not all baseline measures were significantly different in older compared to young subjects. Quantification of these baseline measures will allow us to develop new experimental paradigms that compensate for age-related decline in motor control, sensation, and cognition through brain- plasticity targeted training in rich learning environments.