Effects of cognitive and motor dual-tasks on oropharyngeal swallowing assessed with FEES in healthy individuals

AbstractDysphagia is frequent in many neurological diseases and gives rise to severe complications such as malnutrition, dehydration and aspiration pneumonia. Therefore, early detection and management of dysphagia is essential and can reduce mortality. This study investigated the effect of cognitive and motor dual-task interference on swallowing in healthy participants, as dual-task effects are reported for other motor tasks such as gait and speech. 27 participants (17 females; 29.2 ± 4.1 years) were included in this prospective study and examined using flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES). Using a previously established FEES-based score, the paradigms “baseline swallowing”, “cognitive dual-task” and “motor dual-task” were assessed. Scores of the three paradigms were compared using a repetitive measures ANOVA and post-hoc analysis. Mean baseline swallowing score in single task was 5 ± 3. It worsened to 6 ± 5 in the cognitive (p = 0.118), and to 8 ± 5 in the motor dual-task condition (p < 0.001). This change was driven by subclinical worsening of premature bolus spillage and pharyngeal residue. Oropharyngeal swallowing is not exclusively reflexive in nature but requires attention, which leads to motor dual-task interference. This has potential diagnostic and therapeutic implications, e.g. in the early screening for dysphagia or in avoiding dual-task situations while eating.

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The Effect of Within Stimulus Presentation in Implicit Sequence Learning

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193120504902104 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 49 (21) ◽

pp. 1836-1840

Author(s):

Timothy A. Nichols ◽

Arthur D. Fisk ◽

Wendy A. Rogers

Keyword(s):

Implicit Learning ◽

Dual Task ◽

Sequence Learning ◽

Traffic Control ◽

Single Stimulus ◽

Implicit Sequence Learning ◽

Multiple Control ◽

Task Interference ◽

Dual Task Condition ◽

Dual Task Interference

The tacit and incidental acquisition of sequential information can occur in tasks from air-traffic control to crossing the streets in a crowded metropolis. The present study investigated how implicit sequence learning occurs when attention is divided amongst tasks. Our conceptualization of implicit sequence learning is that dual task interference arises from multiple control processes in the secondary task. This fits with findings that implicit learning remains intact when a within stimulus dual task is employed, where the stimulus for both tasks is incorporated within a single stimulus. However, a direct comparison with the standard dual task condition has not been presented. This comparison revealed another possible explanation for dual task interference in implicit sequence learning, that longer inter-trial intervals, a function of the within stimulus methodology, result in better performance and implicit learning. The data suggest that implicit learning and overall performance in a task that contains an incidental, consistent structure is optimized when stimuli are contained within a single stimulus.

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Dual-task Interference in a Simulated Driving Environment: Serial or Parallel Processing?

10.1101/853119 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Mojtaba Abbas-Zadeh ◽

Gholam-Ali Hossein-Zadeh ◽

Maryam Vaziri-Pashkam

Keyword(s):

Task Performance ◽

Dual Task ◽

Task Condition ◽

Desktop Computer ◽

Task Interference ◽

Dual Task Condition ◽

Simulated Driving ◽

Evidence Accumulation ◽

Dual Task Performance ◽

Dual Task Interference

AbstractWhen humans are required to perform two tasks concurrently, their performances decrease as the two tasks get closer together in time. This effect is known as dual-task interference. This limitation of the human brain could have lethal effects during demanding everyday tasks such as driving. Are the two tasks processed serially or in parallel during dual-task performance in naturalistic settings? Here, we investigated dual-task interference in a simulated driving environment and investigated the serial/parallel nature of processing during dual-task performance. Participants performed a lane change task on a desktop computer, along with an image discrimination task. We systematically varied the time difference between the onset of the two tasks (Stimulus Onset Asynchrony, SOA) and measured its effect on the amount of dual-task interference. Results showed that the reaction times (RTs) of two tasks in the dual-task condition were higher than those in the single-task condition. SOA influenced RTs of both tasks when they were presented second and the RTs of the image task when it was presented first. Manipulating the predictability of the order of the two tasks, we showed that unpredictability attenuated the effect of SOA by changing the order of the response to the two tasks. Next, using drift-diffusion modeling, we modeled the reaction time and choice of the subjects during dual-task performance in both predictable and unpredictable task order conditions. The modeling results indicated that performing two tasks concurrently, affects both the rate of evidence accumulation and the delays outside the evidence accumulation period, suggesting that the two tasks are performed in a partial-parallel manner. These results extend the findings of previous dual-task experiments to more naturalistic settings and deepen our understanding of the mechanisms of dual-task interference.

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The Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Dual-Task Interference Depend on the Dual-Task Content

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnhum.2021.653713 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Takehide Kimura ◽

Fuminari Kaneko ◽

Takashi Nagamine

Keyword(s):

Dual Task ◽

Anodal Tdcs ◽

Task Condition ◽

Task Interference ◽

Dual Tasks ◽

Dual Task Condition ◽

Left Dlpfc ◽

Word Task ◽

Dual Task Interference ◽

Task Content

Recently, some studies revealed that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) reduces dual-task interference. Since there are countless combinations of dual-tasks, it remains unclear whether stable effects by tDCS can be observed on dual-task interference. An aim of the present study was to investigate whether the effects of tDCS on dual-task interference change depend on the dual-task content. We adopted two combinations of dual-tasks, i.e., a word task while performing a tandem task (word-tandem dual-task) and a classic Stroop task while performing a tandem task (Stroop-tandem dual-task). We expected that the Stroop task would recruit the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and require involvement of executive function to greater extent than the word task. Subsequently, we hypothesized that anodal tDCS over the DLPFC would improve executive function and result in more effective reduction of dual-task interference in the Stroop-tandem dual-task than in the word-tandem dual-task. Anodal or cathodal tDCS was applied over the DLPFC or the supplementary motor area using a constant current of 2.0 mA for 20 min. According to our results, dual-task interference and the task performances of each task under the single-task condition were not changed after applying any settings of tDCS. However, anodal tDCS over the left DLPFC significantly improved the word task performance immediately after tDCS under the dual-task condition. Our findings suggested that the effect of anodal tDCS over the left DLPFC varies on the task performance under the dual-task condition was changed depending on the dual-task content.

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Effects of Gait and Cognitive Task Difficulty on Cognitive-Motor Interference in Aging

Journal of Aging Research ◽

10.1155/2012/583894 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Prudence Plummer-D'Amato ◽

Briana Brancato ◽

Mallory Dantowitz ◽

Stephanie Birken ◽

Christina Bonke ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Dual Task ◽

Gait Speed ◽

Task Difficulty ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Task Interference ◽

Significant Group ◽

Fast Speed ◽

Task Effects ◽

Dual Task Interference

Although gait-related dual-task interference in aging is well established, the effect of gait and cognitive task difficulty on dual-task interference is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of gait and cognitive task difficulty on cognitive-motor interference in aging. Fifteen older adults (72.1 years, SD 5.2) and 20 young adults (21.7 years, SD 1.6) performed three walking tasks of varying difficulty (self-selected speed, fast speed, and fast speed with obstacle crossing) under single- and dual-task conditions. The cognitive tasks were the auditory Stroop task and the clock task. There was a significant Group×Gait Task×Cognitive Task interaction for the dual-task effect on gait speed. After adjusting for education, there were no significant effects of gait or cognitive task difficulty on the dual-task effects on cognitive task performance. The results of this study provide evidence that gait task difficulty influences dual-task effects on gait speed, especially in older adults. Moreover, the effects of gait task difficulty on dual-task interference appear to be influenced by the difficulty of the cognitive task. Education is an important factor influencing cognitive-motor interference effects on cognition, but not gait.

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