Functional Gait Can Be Affected by Noise: Effects of Age and Cognitive Function: A Pilot Study

Background: The ageing process may degrade an individual's balance control, hearing capacity, and cognitive function. Older adults perform worse on simultaneously executed balance and secondary tasks (i.e., dual-task performance) than younger adults and may be more vulnerable to auditory distraction.Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of passive listening on functional gait in healthy older vs. younger adults, and to investigate the effect of age, functional gait, hearing ability and cognitive functioning on dual-task performance.Methods: Twenty young and 20 older healthy adults were recruited. Functional gait (Functional Gait Assessment in silent and noisy condition), hearing function (audiogram; Speech in Babble test), and cognitive ability (Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery) were measured.Results: Overall, a significant difference between functional gait performance in silent vs. noisy conditions was found (p = 0.022), with no significant difference in dual-task cost between the two groups (p = 0.11). Correlations were found between increasing age, worse functional gait performance, poorer hearing capacity and lower performance on cognitive function tasks. Interestingly, worse performance on attention tasks appeared to be associated with a worse functional gait performance in the noisy condition.Conclusion: Passive listening to multi-talker babble noise can affect functional gait in both young and older adults. This effect could result from the cognitive load of the babble noise, due to the engagement of attention networks by the unattended speech.

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Walking While Talking and Prefrontal Oxygenation in Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome: Clinical and Pathophysiological Aspects

Journal of Alzheimer s Disease ◽

10.3233/jad-210239 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Cristina Udina ◽

Emmeline Ayers ◽

Marco Inzitari ◽

Joe Verghese

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Task Performance ◽

Dual Task ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Cognitive Risk ◽

Dual Task Cost ◽

Dual Task Performance

Background: Motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR) combines slow gait and cognitive complaints and has been proposed as a predementia syndrome. The nature of dual-task performance in MCR has not been established. Objective: To assess differences in dual-task performance between participants with and without MCR and to study the prefrontal cortex (PFC)-based brain activity during dual-task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Methods: Cohort study of community-dwelling non-demented older adults included in the “Central Control of Mobility in Aging” study. Comprehensive assessment included global cognition and executive function tests along with clinical variables. Dual-task paradigm consisted in walking while reciting alternate letters of the alphabet (WWT) on an electronic walkway. We compared dual-task performance between MCR (n = 60) and No MCR (n = 478) participants and assessed the relationship of dual-task performance with cognitive function. In a subsample, we compared PFC oxygenation during WWT between MCR (n = 32) and No MCR (n = 293). Results: In our sample of 538 high-functioning older adults (76.6±6.5 years), with 11.2% prevalence of MCR, dual-task cost was not significantly different, compared to No MCR participants. Among MCR participants, no significant relationship was found between WWT velocity and cognitive function, whereas No MCR participants with better cognitive function showed faster WWT velocities. PFC oxygenation during WWT was higher in MCR compared to No MCR (1.02±1.25 versus 0.66±0.83, p = 0.03). Conclusion: MCR participants showed no significant differences in the dual-task cost while exhibiting higher PFC oxygenation during dual-task walking. The dual-task performance (WWT velocity) in MCR participants was not related to cognition.

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Effects of Combined Resistance and Power Training on Cognitive Function in Older Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17103435 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (10) ◽

pp. 3435 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hélio José Coelho-Júnior ◽

Ivan de Oliveira Gonçalves ◽

Ricardo Aurélio Carvalho Sampaio ◽

Priscila Yukari Sewo Sampaio ◽

Eduardo Lusa Cadore ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Function ◽

Older Women ◽

Task Performance ◽

Dual Task ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Memory ◽

Dual Task Performance ◽

Serum Bdnf

The present study compared the effects of traditional resistance training (TRT) and combined power training (PT) and TRT (PTRT) on cognitive parameters and serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in non-demented, well-functioning, community-dwelling older women. Forty-five older women were randomized into one of three experimental groups: TRT, PTRT, and control group (CG). Cognitive tests explored global cognitive function, short-term memory, and dual-task performance. Serum BDNF levels were assessed at baseline and after the intervention. Exercise sessions were performed twice a week over 22 weeks. In TRT, exercise sessions were based on three sets of 8–10 repetitions at “difficult” intensity. In PTRT, the first session was based on PT (three sets of 8−10 repetitions at “moderate” intensity), while the second session was similar to the TRT. Our analyses indicated that overall cognitive function, short-term memory, and dual-task performance were similarly improved after TRT and PTRT. Serum BDNF concentrations were not altered by any training protocol. In conclusion, the two RT programs tested in the present trial improved global cognitive function, short-term memory and dual task performance in non-demented, well-functioning, community-dwelling older women. In addition, our findings suggest that mechanisms other than BDNF may be associated with such improvements.

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Dual-Task Performance in Hearing-Impaired Older Adults—Study Protocol for a Cross-Sectional Mobile Brain/Body Imaging Study

Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnagi.2021.773287 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

Author(s):

Anna Wunderlich ◽

Oliver Vogel ◽

Maja Maša Šömen ◽

Manca Peskar ◽

Madeleine Fricke ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Dual Task ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Hearing Impaired ◽

Hearing Impairments ◽

Body Imaging ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Younger Adults ◽

Motor Processes ◽

Dual Task Performance

Background: Hearing impairments are associated with reduced walking performance under Dual-task (DT) conditions. Little is known about the neural representation of DT performance while walking in this target group compared to healthy controls or younger adults. Therefore, utilizing the Mobile Brain/Body Imaging approach (MoBI), we aim at gaining deeper insights into the brain dynamics underlying the interaction of cognitive and motor processes during different DT conditions (visual and auditory) controlling for age and the potential performance decrements of older adults with hearing impairments.Methods: The cross-sectional study integrates a multifactorial mixed-measure design. Between-subject factors grouping the sample will be age (younger vs. older adults) and hearing impairment (mild vs. not hearing impaired). The within-subject factors will be the task complexity (single- vs. DT) and cognitive task modality (visual vs. auditory). Stimuli of the cognitive task will vary according to the stimulus modality (visual vs. auditory), presentation side (left vs. right), and presentation-response compatibility (ipsilateral vs. contralateral). Analyses of DT costs and underlying neuronal correlates focus either on gait or cognitive performance. Based on an a priori sample size calculation 96 (48 healthy and 48 mildly hearing impaired) community-dwelling older adults (50–70 years) and 48 younger adults (20–30 years) will be recruited. Gait parameters of speed and rhythm will be captured. EEG activity will be recorded using 64 active electrodes.Discussion: The study evaluates cognitive-motor interference (CMI) in groups of young and older adults as well as older adults with hearing impairment. The underlying processes of the interaction between motor and cognitive tasks will be identified at a behavioral and neurophysiological level comparing an auditory or a visual secondary task. We assume that performance differences are linked to different cognitive-motor processes, i.e., stimulus input, resource allocation, and movement execution. Moreover, for the different DT conditions (auditory vs. visual) we assume performance decrements within the auditory condition, especially for older, hearing-impaired adults. Findings will provide evidence of general mechanisms of CMI (ST vs. DT walking) as well as task-specific effects in dual-task performance while over ground walking.

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The Relationship between Single Task, Dual Task Performance and Impulsiveness Personality Traits of Young Adults in the Community

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare8040470 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 470

Author(s):

Myoung-Ok Park

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Task Performance ◽

Dual Task ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Task Type ◽

Timed Up And Go ◽

Single Task ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Dual Task Performance

(1) Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between single, dual task performance and impulsiveness personality traits of young adults in the community. (2) Methods: As a cross-sectional study, the Korean version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11-Revised test, which is an impulsiveness indicator test tool, was conducted on a total of 62 healthy young adults in the community. In order to assess the task performance ability, single task, motor dual task, and cognitive-motor dual task of Timed up and go (TUG) test were conducted. (3) Results: In order to identify the mean difference of the three types of TUG task performance according to the total score of impulsiveness test of all subjects, one-way ANOVA analysis was performed. As a result, there was no statistically significant difference by each task type. Upon investigating the correlation between the three subtypes (cognitive impulsiveness, motor impulsiveness, non-planned impulsiveness) of impulsiveness and total score and TUG task performance, cognitive impulsiveness and TUG-cognitive task performance showed statistically significant correlation. (4) Conclusions: There was an association with the degree of cognitive impulsiveness when performing motor task and cognitive task simultaneously.

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