Cognitive and motor inhibition in balance-related tasks: task-specific associations with executive and physical functions in young and older adults

TL;DR

This study explores how cognitive and motor inhibition in balance tasks relate to executive and physical functions in young and older adults, finding age-related differences in these associations.

Contribution

The study reveals distinct associations of cognitive and motor inhibition in balance tasks with general inhibition tests and highlights age-related differences in these relationships.

Findings

Cognitive inhibition in balance tasks correlated with inhibition tests in young adults but not in older adults.

Motor inhibition showed weak, non-significant correlations with inhibition tests in both age groups.

Executive functions, rather than physical functions, were partly linked to balance task performance.

Abstract

This study investigates age-related differences in relations between inhibitory control in balance-related tasks (BRTs) and executive and physical functions. Correlations between effects of cognitive and motor inhibition in two BRTs and performance on general tests assessing inhibition and other executive functions, as well as associations between performance of the BRTs were explored in 26 young and 46 older adults (YA: 26 ± 4, OA: 70 ± 4 years). Multiple linear regression evaluated BRT-performance using predictors from general tests of executive and physical functions. Significant age-related differences were observed in most general tests. In YA, cognitive inhibition in the BRT correlated with reaction-time and failure-rate in Go/no-go and Stop-signal-tests, while motor inhibition showed a low non-significant correlation with stop-signal reaction-time in Stop-signal-test. These patterns were not observed in OA. In YA and OA, correlations between the BRTs were low and non-significant, and, executive functions, rather than physical functions, partly associated with BRT-performance. The differential associations of cognitive and motor inhibition in the BRTs with general inhibition tests and the lack of correlations between the BRTs supports the notion that the BRTs comprise different aspects of inhibitory control. The absence of similar results in OA may reflect compensatory processes and age-related changes in cognitive functions.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-026-44189-x.

Figures