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Task prioritization in aging: effects of sensory information on concurrent posture and memory performance
Michail Doumas1, Caroline Smolders, Ralf Th Krampe
1Department of Psychology, K.U. Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, bus 3715, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. mihalis.doumas@psy.kuleuven.be
Experimental Brain Research
|February 15, 2008
Summary
Older adults prioritize posture over cognitive tasks when stability is challenged. Resource allocation flexibly shifts to maintain balance, especially when sensory information is compromised.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Cognitive resources are crucial for postural stability in older adults.
- Age-related declines in sensorimotor and cognitive functions impact balance.
- Understanding resource allocation is key to addressing fall risks in aging populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how increasing postural instability affects cognitive resource allocation in older adults.
- To determine if older adults prioritize postural tasks over cognitive tasks under dual-task conditions with sway referencing.
- To examine age-related differences in resource allocation strategies during challenging balance tasks.
Main Methods:
- Young and older adults performed single- and dual-task assessments involving posture (stable, visual sway reference, somatosensory sway reference) and working memory (n-back).
- Postural stability and cognitive task performance were measured under varying sensory conditions.
- Changes in performance costs between single- and dual-task conditions were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Postural stability improved over sessions, with greater instability in sway reference conditions, particularly somatosensory sway reference in older adults.
- On stable surfaces, older adults increased postural instability by ~40% during dual-tasking.
- In the somatosensory sway reference condition, postural stability remained constant in dual-tasking, with significant cognitive costs (~15%).
Conclusions:
- Older adults demonstrate flexible resource allocation, prioritizing posture when sensory input is compromised during dual-tasking.
- This adaptive strategy maintains postural control by reallocating cognitive resources away from the memory task.
- Life-span development of flexible resource allocation compensates for age-related sensorimotor and cognitive declines.
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