Intra-limb coordination while walking is affected by cognitive load and walking speed.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomechanics
• Human Movement Science

Background:

• Intra-limb coordination (ILC) is crucial for adaptable human gait control, especially under challenging conditions.
• Understanding ILC adaptability informs central nervous system (CNS) function during locomotion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of cognitive load and walking speed on ILC patterns and variability in young adults.
• To analyze how dual-tasking (cognitive load) and varying speeds influence gait coordination.

Main Methods:

• Thirty healthy young adults performed treadmill walking under single-task and dual-task (simple and complex cognitive tasks) conditions.
• Walking speeds included preferred, slower, and faster paces.
• Intra-limb coordination was quantified using deviation phase (DP) and mean absolute relative phase (MARP) from motion capture data.

Main Results:

• Cognitive load significantly affected DP in multiple limb segments and MARP in thigh-shank segments.
• Walking speed significantly impacted DP across all segments and MARP in thigh-shank and pelvis-thigh segments.
• Interactions between cognitive load and speed were observed for MARP in specific limb segments.

Conclusions:

• Both cognitive load and walking speed are significant modulators of ILC during walking.
• These findings highlight the CNS's capacity to adjust gait coordination strategies in response to dual-tasking and altered speeds.
• ILC variability and phase dynamics are sensitive indicators of gait control under varying cognitive and physical demands.