Article

The control of dual-tasking effects is a daily challenge in stroke
neurorehabilitation. It maybe one of the reasons why there is poor functional
prognosis after a stroke in the right hemisphere, which plays a dominant role in
posture control. The purpose of this study was to explore cognitive motor
interference in right brain-lesioned and healthy subjects maintaining a standing
position while performing three different tasks: a control task, a simple
attentional task and a complex attentional task. We measured the sway area of the
subjects on a force platform, including the center of pressure and its
displacements. Results showed that stroke patients presented a reduced postural
sway compared to healthy subjects, who were able to maintain their posture while
performing a concomitant attentional task in the same dual-tasking conditions.
Moreover, in both groups, the postural sway decreased with the increase in
attentional load from cognitive tasks. We also noticed that the stability of
stroke patients in dual-tasking conditions increased together with the
weight-bearing rightward deviation, especially when the attentional load of the
cognitive tasks and lower limb motor impairments were high. These results suggest
that stroke patients and healthy subjects adopt a similar postural regulation
pattern aimed at maintaining stability in dual-tasking conditions involving a
static standing position and different attention-related cognitive tasks. Our
results indicate that attention processes might facilitate static postural
control.
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Langue : ANGLAIS