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Dual-task and electrophysiological markers of executive cognitive processing in older adult gait and fall-risk

The role of cognition is becoming increasingly central to our understanding of the complexity of walking gait. In particular, higher-level executive functions are suggested to play a key role in gait and fall-risk, but the specific underlying neurocognitive processes remain unclear. Here, we report...

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Autores principales: Walshe, Elizabeth A., Patterson, Matthew R., Commins, Seán, Roche, Richard A. P.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2015
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4400911/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25941481
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00200
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author Walshe, Elizabeth A.
Patterson, Matthew R.
Commins, Seán
Roche, Richard A. P.
author_facet Walshe, Elizabeth A.
Patterson, Matthew R.
Commins, Seán
Roche, Richard A. P.
author_sort Walshe, Elizabeth A.
collection PubMed
description The role of cognition is becoming increasingly central to our understanding of the complexity of walking gait. In particular, higher-level executive functions are suggested to play a key role in gait and fall-risk, but the specific underlying neurocognitive processes remain unclear. Here, we report two experiments which investigated the cognitive and neural processes underlying older adult gait and falls. Experiment 1 employed a dual-task (DT) paradigm in young and older adults, to assess the relative effects of higher-level executive function tasks (n-Back, Serial Subtraction and visuo-spatial Clock task) in comparison to non-executive distracter tasks (motor response task and alphabet recitation) on gait. All DTs elicited changes in gait for both young and older adults, relative to baseline walking. Significantly greater DT costs were observed for the executive tasks in the older adult group. Experiment 2 compared normal walking gait, seated cognitive performances and concurrent event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in healthy young and older adults, to older adult fallers. No significant differences in cognitive performances were found between fallers and non-fallers. However, an initial late-positivity, considered a potential early P3a, was evident on the Stroop task for older non-fallers, which was notably absent in older fallers. We argue that executive control functions play a prominent role in walking and gait, but the use of neurocognitive processes as a predictor of fall-risk needs further investigation.
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spelling pubmed-44009112015-05-04 Dual-task and electrophysiological markers of executive cognitive processing in older adult gait and fall-risk Walshe, Elizabeth A. Patterson, Matthew R. Commins, Seán Roche, Richard A. P. Front Hum Neurosci Neuroscience The role of cognition is becoming increasingly central to our understanding of the complexity of walking gait. In particular, higher-level executive functions are suggested to play a key role in gait and fall-risk, but the specific underlying neurocognitive processes remain unclear. Here, we report two experiments which investigated the cognitive and neural processes underlying older adult gait and falls. Experiment 1 employed a dual-task (DT) paradigm in young and older adults, to assess the relative effects of higher-level executive function tasks (n-Back, Serial Subtraction and visuo-spatial Clock task) in comparison to non-executive distracter tasks (motor response task and alphabet recitation) on gait. All DTs elicited changes in gait for both young and older adults, relative to baseline walking. Significantly greater DT costs were observed for the executive tasks in the older adult group. Experiment 2 compared normal walking gait, seated cognitive performances and concurrent event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in healthy young and older adults, to older adult fallers. No significant differences in cognitive performances were found between fallers and non-fallers. However, an initial late-positivity, considered a potential early P3a, was evident on the Stroop task for older non-fallers, which was notably absent in older fallers. We argue that executive control functions play a prominent role in walking and gait, but the use of neurocognitive processes as a predictor of fall-risk needs further investigation. Frontiers Media S.A. 2015-04-17 /pmc/articles/PMC4400911/ /pubmed/25941481 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00200 Text en Copyright © 2015 Walshe, Patterson, Commins and Roche. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution and reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Neuroscience
Walshe, Elizabeth A.
Patterson, Matthew R.
Commins, Seán
Roche, Richard A. P.
Dual-task and electrophysiological markers of executive cognitive processing in older adult gait and fall-risk
title Dual-task and electrophysiological markers of executive cognitive processing in older adult gait and fall-risk
title_full Dual-task and electrophysiological markers of executive cognitive processing in older adult gait and fall-risk
title_fullStr Dual-task and electrophysiological markers of executive cognitive processing in older adult gait and fall-risk
title_full_unstemmed Dual-task and electrophysiological markers of executive cognitive processing in older adult gait and fall-risk
title_short Dual-task and electrophysiological markers of executive cognitive processing in older adult gait and fall-risk
title_sort dual-task and electrophysiological markers of executive cognitive processing in older adult gait and fall-risk
topic Neuroscience
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4400911/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25941481
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00200
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