Older woman walks gracefully on a path of brain synapses, symbolizing ageless mobility.

Unlock Your Ageless Gait: How Neuroscience Can Help You Stay Balanced and Mobile

Jordan Keane in Health & Wellness June 2025 • 4 min read.

"Discover how understanding your brain's role in movement can help you combat age-related decline and maintain your balance and coordination."

Falls are a major concern for older adults, affecting roughly 30% of those over 65 each year and leading to significant healthcare costs. While it's well-known that physical fitness plays a role in preventing falls, the connection between cognitive function and mobility is increasingly recognized. Slowness in gait, instability, and heightened fall risk are closely tied to cognitive abilities and brain health.

This article dives into the fascinating world of cognitive neuroscience and aging, specifically exploring how your brain influences your ability to balance, walk, and perform multiple tasks simultaneously (known as dual-tasking). We'll break down complex research and show you how to leverage this knowledge to maintain your mobility and independence as you age.

While the movement sciences have made progress, this article offers a new perspective by explaining cognitive enrichment, compensation and neural aging and how cognitive and neural plasticity through training can help to improve age-associated declines.

The Aging Brain: How It Impacts Your Movement

Older woman walks gracefully on a path of brain synapses, symbolizing ageless mobility.

As we age, our brains undergo changes that can affect our movement. These changes include a decline in grey matter volume in areas like the prefrontal cortex (important for planning and decision-making), as well as changes in white matter, which compromises the efficiency of communication between different brain regions. These changes can lead to cognitive decline.

But it's not all downhill! The brain has an amazing capacity to adapt and compensate. Studies show that older adults often activate additional brain regions when performing cognitive tasks compared to younger adults. This suggests the brain is working harder to maintain performance.

Functional Recruitment: Older adults often show increased activity in brain regions to compensate for age-related decline.
Dedifferentiation: A loss of neural specificity.
Network Disruption: The dynamic coordination of large-scale networks is disrupted with aging, leading to cognitive decline.

Several models attempt to explain how the aging brain adapts. For example, the Scaffolding Theory of Aging and Cognition (STAC) suggests that the brain builds "scaffolds" or alternative neural circuits to maintain cognitive function in the face of decline. Similarly, the Hemispheric Asymmetry Reduction in Older Adults (HAROLD) model proposes that older adults show increased bilateral brain activity (using both hemispheres) to compensate for age-related changes. The goal of cognitive enrichment (brain games) is to improve cognitive ability.

Moving Forward: Key Takeaways

By understanding how your brain ages and adapts, you can take proactive steps to maintain your mobility and independence. Keep challenging your brain with mentally stimulating activities, stay physically active, and be mindful of how your body responds to multi-tasking. With the right approach, you can keep your gait ageless and enjoy a balanced, active life for years to come.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.3389/fneur.2018.00913, Alternate LINK

Title: Cognitive Involvement In Balance, Gait And Dual-Tasking In Aging: A Focused Review From A Neuroscience Of Aging Perspective

Subject: Neurology (clinical)

Journal: Frontiers in Neurology

Publisher: Frontiers Media SA

Authors: Karen Z. H. Li, Louis Bherer, Anat Mirelman, Inbal Maidan, Jeffrey M. Hausdorff

Published: 2018-10-29

Everything You Need To Know

Why are falls a significant concern as we age, and how is this connected to brain health?

Falls are a major concern for older adults, affecting roughly 30% of those over 65 each year and leading to significant healthcare costs. Cognitive function and brain health are increasingly recognized as factors related to mobility. Slowness in gait, instability, and heightened fall risk are closely tied to cognitive abilities. Changes in the brain, such as a decline in grey matter volume in areas like the prefrontal cortex and changes in white matter, can impact movement, balance and gait.

What specific changes occur in the brain as we age that impact our movement and balance?

As we age, several changes occur in the brain that can affect movement and balance. These include a decline in grey matter volume, particularly in areas like the prefrontal cortex, which is important for planning and decision-making. There are also changes in white matter, which compromises the efficiency of communication between different brain regions. These changes can lead to cognitive decline that affects gait and balance. However, the brain also demonstrates functional recruitment, activating additional regions to compensate for age-related decline.

What are the key models that explain how the aging brain adapts, and how can they help us understand mobility?

Several models attempt to explain how the aging brain adapts, including the Scaffolding Theory of Aging and Cognition (STAC), which suggests that the brain builds "scaffolds" or alternative neural circuits to maintain cognitive function in the face of decline. Another model is the Hemispheric Asymmetry Reduction in Older Adults (HAROLD), which proposes that older adults show increased bilateral brain activity (using both hemispheres) to compensate for age-related changes. Understanding these models can help tailor strategies to improve mobility by promoting cognitive enrichment and neuroplasticity.

How does 'functional recruitment' in the aging brain help maintain mobility and balance, and what are its limitations?

Functional recruitment refers to the phenomenon where older adults show increased activity in brain regions to compensate for age-related decline. This suggests the brain is working harder to maintain performance. While functional recruitment can help maintain mobility and balance by compensating for declines in specific brain areas, its effectiveness may be limited by factors such as the extent of neural aging, individual cognitive reserve, and overall brain health. Other important aspects of brain health and mobility include dedifferentiation and network disruption.

Besides physical activity, what proactive steps can be taken to maintain mobility and independence by leveraging our understanding of neuroscience and aging?

Beyond physical activity, understanding how the brain ages and adapts allows for proactive steps to maintain mobility and independence. Engaging in mentally stimulating activities promotes cognitive enrichment and neuroplasticity. It's also essential to be mindful of how the body responds to multi-tasking and adjust activities accordingly. Cognitive enrichment (brain games) aims to improve cognitive ability. These strategies, combined with physical activity, can help maintain an ageless gait and promote a balanced, active life for years to come.