Tuned to walk: cue type, beat perception, and gait dynamics during rhythmic stimulation in aging.

Fractal auditory cues increased long-range correlations (LRC) in gait across the adult lifespan.

• Young, middle-aged, and older adults (n = 62) walked around an elliptical track in silence and in three cued walking conditions of increasing attentional load
• Tones were presented in both isochronous and fractal rhythms
• The qualitatively greater increase in LRC was observed among middle-aged adults
• This finding was consistent with the study's first prediction that walking to fractal cues would increase LRC in gait across the adult lifespan

Isochronous auditory cues resulted in decreased long-range correlations in gait, with a stronger effect in individuals with better beat perception.

• Isochronous rhythmic cues use constant inter-beat-intervals
• The decrease in LRC during isochronous cueing was particularly pronounced for those with better beat perception
• This suggests that beat perception ability moderates the impact of cue type on gait dynamics
• This finding aligns with prior literature noting that those with better beat perception benefit more from rhythmic auditory cueing

Increasing attentional load had no effect on long-range correlations in gait.

• The study investigated three cued walking conditions of increasing attentional load
• The second prediction that increasing attentional load would decrease LRC in gait, particularly for older adults, was not supported
• This null finding applied across young, middle-aged, and older adult groups
• Walking requires greater cognitive resources with increased age, yet attentional load did not differentially affect LRC

Healthy gait contains fractal-like variability with persistent long-range correlations that is disturbed when walking to isochronous cues.

• Fractal-like variability refers to persistent long-range correlations (LRC) in gait
• Isochronous cues, which have constant inter-beat-intervals, disturb this natural fractal structure
• Embedding auditory cues with a fractal structure has been previously shown to increase LRC in gait among young and older adults
• Middle-aged adults were identified as an under-researched population in this context

The optimal parameters for rhythmic auditory cueing depend on age, beat perception ability, and the specific gait parameter being targeted.

• The study involved three age groups: young, middle-aged, and older adults (total n = 62)
• Beat perception moderated the relationship between cue type and LRC in gait
• Middle-aged adults showed qualitatively greater increases in LRC with fractal cues compared to other age groups
• The interaction between cue type, age, and beat perception underscores that no single RAC protocol is universally optimal