BACKGROUND: Dual tasking can interfere with activity after stroke. OBJECTIVE: The authors examined the interactions between 3 different cognitive tasks and the swing and double-limb support (DLS) components of the gait cycle in community-dwelling individuals poststroke. METHODS: Acquisition of cognitive and gait data were synchronized to study the cognitive-motor interference effects during the different phases of the gait cycle. Participants performed 3 different cognitive tasks in isolation and in combination with walking as well as a single walking task. Tasks were performed continuously for 3 minutes, generating 131 +/- 39 gait cycles per person for analysis for each walking trial. Data were analyzed for 8 participants 7.6 +/- 4.2 months poststroke. RESULTS: A significant increase was found in the proportion of the gait cycle spent in DLS in dual-task walking because of an increased duration of the DLS phase associated with paretic weight acceptance. There was a significant dual-task effect on nonparetic swing duration: participants reduced the amount of time in paretic single-limb stance in the 3 dual-task conditions. Temporal asymmetry of gait did not increase significantly under dual-task conditions. Reaction times were not affected by whether the stimuli were present during the swing or DLS phase of the gait cycle. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this pilot study provide evidence that cognitive-motor interference during gait may be influenced by the phase of the gait cycle, especially DLS involving paretic weight acceptance, which may affect community ambulators with hemiparetic stroke.
BACKGROUND: Dual tasking can interfere with activity after stroke. OBJECTIVE: The authors examined the interactions between 3 different cognitive tasks and the swing and double-limb support (DLS) components of the gait cycle in community-dwelling individuals poststroke. METHODS: Acquisition of cognitive and gait data were synchronized to study the cognitive-motor interference effects during the different phases of the gait cycle. Participants performed 3 different cognitive tasks in isolation and in combination with walking as well as a single walking task. Tasks were performed continuously for 3 minutes, generating 131 +/- 39 gait cycles per person for analysis for each walking trial. Data were analyzed for 8 participants 7.6 +/- 4.2 months poststroke. RESULTS: A significant increase was found in the proportion of the gait cycle spent in DLS in dual-task walking because of an increased duration of the DLS phase associated with paretic weight acceptance. There was a significant dual-task effect on nonparetic swing duration: participants reduced the amount of time in paretic single-limb stance in the 3 dual-task conditions. Temporal asymmetry of gait did not increase significantly under dual-task conditions. Reaction times were not affected by whether the stimuli were present during the swing or DLS phase of the gait cycle. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this pilot study provide evidence that cognitive-motor interference during gait may be influenced by the phase of the gait cycle, especially DLS involving paretic weight acceptance, which may affect community ambulators with hemiparetic stroke.
Authors: Alison L Pruziner; Emma P Shaw; Jeremy C Rietschel; Brad D Hendershot; Matthew W Miller; Erik J Wolf; Bradley D Hatfield; Christopher L Dearth; Rodolphe J Gentili Journal: Exp Brain Res Date: 2018-11-20 Impact factor: 1.972
Authors: Justine Lo; On-Yee Lo; Erin A Olson; Daniel Habtemariam; Ikechukwu Iloputaife; Margaret M Gagnon; Brad Manor; Lewis A Lipsitz Journal: Gait Posture Date: 2017-01-20 Impact factor: 2.840
Authors: Prudence Plummer; Corinne J Bohling; L Ellese Nickles; Alexis A Williams; Amy Thomas; Silva Markovic-Plese; Barbara Giesser Journal: Int J MS Care Date: 2018 Sep-Oct