Effect of Water Immersion on Dual-task Performance: Implications for Aquatic Therapy

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Human Physiology
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Cardiovascular and biomechanical responses to exercise in water are well-documented.
• Higher-order neural responses to water immersion remain less understood.
• Cortical processing is indirectly assessed via cognitive and motor task performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare cognitive and motor performance between land and water environments.
• To investigate neural processing differences using a dual-task paradigm.

Main Methods:

• Quasi-experimental crossover design with 22 healthy adults and 1 patient with mild cognitive impairment.
• Participants performed auditory vigilance and standing balance tasks individually and simultaneously (dual-task).
• Tasks were conducted on land and in chest-deep water; performance measured by listening errors and center of pressure (CoP).

Main Results:

• Fewer listening errors (42-45% reduction) occurred in water compared to land during single and dual-task conditions.
• Center of pressure (CoP) area was significantly lower on land (115-164% reduction) than in water.
• Dual-tasking reduced postural sway (8-33%) regardless of environment, a trend consistent in the patient case.

Conclusions:

• Chest-deep water immersion appears to enhance cognitive performance, reducing errors.
• Water immersion may impair postural control, leading to increased sway, particularly under dual-task conditions.
• Findings suggest distinct neural processing adaptations to aquatic environments affecting cognition and motor control.