Abstract
Background: Our study aimed to [1] compare dual-task costs in gait and cognitive performance during two dual-task paradigms: walking while reciting alternate letters of the alphabet (WWR) and walking while counting backward by sevens (WWC); [2] examine the relationship between the gait and cognitive interference tasks when performed concurrently. Scope: Gait and cognitive performance were tested in 217 non-demented older adults (mean age 76. ±. 8.8 years; 56.2% female) under single and dual-task conditions. Velocity (cm/s) was obtained using an instrumented walkway. Cognitive performance was assessed using accuracy ratio: [correct responses]/[total responses]. Linear mixed effects models revealed significant dual-task costs, with slower velocity (p< .01) and decreased accuracy ratio (p<. .01) in WWR and WWC compared to their respective single task conditions. Greater dual-task costs in velocity (p<. .01) were observed in WWC compared to WWR. Pearson correlations revealed significant and positive relationships between gait and cognitive performance in WWR and WWC (p<. .01); increased accuracy ratio was associated with faster velocity. Conclusions: Our findings suggested that dual-task costs in gait increase as the complexity of the cognitive task increases. Furthermore, the positive association between the gait and cognitive tasks suggest that dual-task performance was not influenced by task prioritization strategies in this sample.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 415-419 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Gait and Posture |
Volume | 40 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 2014 |
Keywords
- Attention
- Dual-task
- Elderly
- Walking
- Walking while talking
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biophysics
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
- Rehabilitation