Article

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.
CI - Copyright (c) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS