Background: Older and younger adults utilize sensory information differently to plan and control their reaching movements to visual targets. In addition, younger adults appear to utilize different sensorimotor transformations when reaching to somatosensory vs. visual targets. Critically, it is not yet known if older adults perform similar sensorimotor transformations when planning and executing movements to targets of varying modalities (i.e., visual, somatosensory or bimodal).Methods: Participants (12 younger adults, mean age: 22; 12 older adults, mean age: 67) performed reaches with their right upper-limb to visual, somatosensory, and bimodal (i.e., visual-somatosensory) targets in a dark room. Data were ultimately analyzed using a 2 Age-Group by 3-Target Modality ANOVA.Results: For both age groups, endpoint precision was best when the visual target was presented (i.e., visual or bimodal). Critically, older adults exhibited longer reaction time (RT) compared to younger adults, especially when initiating reaches to the somatosensory targets (Cohen's d = 0.95). These longer RT's for older adults when aiming to somatosensory targets may indicate that aging leads to deficits in performing the sensorimotor transformations necessary to plan a reaching movement toward somatosensory targets. In contrast, control mechanisms during reaching execution appear to be comparable for both younger and older adults.Conclusions: When performing a voluntary movement to a felt vs. a seen target location, older adults appear to have altered planning mechanisms, compared to younger adults. Specifically, they tend to take more time to complete the necessary sensorimotor transformations to locate a somatosensory target. These findings could be used to guide the design of physical activity and rehabilitation protocols.

中文翻译：

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视觉和/或体感目标的感觉运动转换中与年龄相关的差异：计划还是执行？

背景：老年人和年轻人利用不同的感觉信息来计划和控制他们向视觉目标的伸手动作。此外，年轻人在达到体感与视觉目标时似乎会利用不同的感觉运动转换。至关重要的是，尚不清楚老年人在计划和执行向各种形态（例如视觉，体感或双峰）目标的运动时是否执行类似的感觉运动转换。方法：参与者（12岁的年轻人，平均年龄：22岁； 12岁的成年人） ，平均年龄：67岁）在黑暗的房间中，其右上肢达到视觉，体感和双峰（即视觉体感）目标。最终使用2年龄组的3目标模态方差分析对数据进行了分析。结果：对于两个年龄组，呈现视觉目标（即视觉或双峰）时，终点精度最高。至关重要的是，与年轻人相比，老年人表现出更长的反应时间（RT），尤其是当开始达到体感目标时（Cohen d = 0.95）。当针对体感目标时，这些较长的RT给老年人使用，可能表明衰老会导致执行计划向体感目标的伸手运动所必需的感觉运动转换不足。相比之下，执行过程中的控制机制在年轻人和老年人中都具有可比性。结论：当自愿移动到毛毡和可见目标位置时，与年轻人相比，老年人似乎改变了计划机制。特别，他们倾向于花费更多时间来完成必要的感觉运动转换，以定位体感目标。这些发现可用于指导体育锻炼和康复方案的设计。