Age-Related Differences in Ocular and Cardiovascular Responses and Recovery After Graded Motor-Cognitive Physical Activity.

Background/Objectives: This study examined age-related differences in ocular and cardiovascular responses to graded motor-cognitive task complexity in young and older adults. Methods: Forty-three healthy adults participated, including 21 young adults (27.1 ± 7.7 years) and 22 older adults (63.1 ± 7.8 years). Participants completed three tasks of progressively increasing motor-cognitive complexity. Intraocular pressure (IOP), ocular perfusion pressure (OPP), blood pressure, and heart rate were measured at baseline, after each task block, and at a post-task recovery assessment. Results: Significant condition effects were found for IOP (p = 0.012, η2p = 0.08), OPP (p < 0.001, η2p = 0.76), systolic blood pressure (p < 0.001, η2p = 0.51), and relative heart rate (p < 0.001, η2p = 0.40). Condition × group interactions were significant for IOP (p = 0.004, η2p = 0.09), OPP (p = 0.002, η2p = 0.10), and systolic blood pressure (p = 0.003, η2p = 0.11). Post hoc analyses showed that young adults exhibited a decrease in IOP from the first task block to recovery (p = 0.011, d = 0.35), whereas older adults showed a return toward baseline values. Relative heart rate was consistently higher in older adults across the protocol (p < 0.001, η2p = 0.29). Conclusions: Increasing motor-cognitive task complexity elicited progressive ocular and cardiovascular responses. The findings suggest that aging may influence the pattern of physiological adaptation to graded motor-cognitive load, particularly during early recovery. Concurrent assessment of ocular and cardiovascular measures may help characterize these response patterns.