Walking with age becomes both slower and less 'automated', requiring more attention and brain resources. As a result, older adults have a greater risk of negative outcomes and falls. There is an urgent need to identify factors that can help compensate for these harmful factors and reduce walking impairments, as there are currently no effective treatments available. Investigators have recently discovered that \~20% of older adults maintain fast walking speed even in the presence of small blood vessel brain changes and leg problems, thus appearing to be protected against these harmful factors. The investigators work suggests that the brain dopamine (DA) system may be a source of this protective capacity. Investigators have also shown that lower levels of dopamine are associated with slow walking. Investigators will be investigating the role of dopamine on slow walking and other parkinsonian signs using detailed clinical assessment, assessment of dopamine activity, and clinical interventions.
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Average Gait Speed
Timeframe: 7-13 days after beginning treatment.
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)
Timeframe: 7-13 days after beginning treatment
Mini Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest)
Timeframe: 7-13 days after beginning treatment
Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) Part III Total
Timeframe: 7-13 days after beginning treatment
Cognitive Z-score
Timeframe: 7-13 days after beginning treatment
Wechsler Adult Intelligence System Digit Symbol Substitution Test
Timeframe: 7-13 days after beginning treatment