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Walking is more like catching than tapping: gait in the elderly as a complex cognitive task
Jeffrey M Hausdorff1, Galit Yogev, Shmuel Springer
1Movement Disorders Unit, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel. jhausdor@bidmc.harvard.edu
Experimental Brain Research
|May 3, 2005
Summary
Routine walking in older adults is a complex cognitive task, more akin to catching than simple tapping. Better gait stability correlates with enhanced executive function, suggesting new approaches for fall risk reduction.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Motor Control
Background:
- Walking is often perceived as an automated motor task.
- Rhythmic finger tapping is considered a simple automated task.
- Complex motor tasks like object catching require advanced processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cognitive demands of routine walking in older adults.
- To compare walking performance with simple rhythmic tapping and complex catching tasks.
- To explore the association between gait parameters and cognitive functions like executive function and memory.
Main Methods:
- Participants performed walking, finger tapping, and object catching tasks.
- Gait parameters including gait speed and stride time variability were measured.
- Cognitive assessments included the Stroop test and memory tests.
Main Results:
- Walking performance was significantly associated with catching performance, not tapping.
- Higher gait speed correlated with better catching accuracy and fewer errors.
- Lower stride time variability (steadier gait) was linked to superior catching abilities and executive function (Stroop test).
Conclusions:
- Routine walking in older adults is a complex cognitive task, not merely automated.
- Gait stability is closely linked to executive function, highlighting cognitive-gait interdependencies.
- Findings suggest cognitive training could be a novel strategy for managing gait and fall risk in the elderly.