Changes in Standing and Walking Performance Under Dual-Task Conditions Across the Lifespan

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Human Development
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Performing a postural task with a concurrent cognitive task can exceed cognitive resources when postural control is not automatic.
• This interference, known as dual-task costs, can decrease performance in one or both tasks.
• Lifespan changes in attentional demands and processing capacity suggest dual-task costs may vary across age groups.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review changes in dual-tasking abilities for postural tasks across the lifespan.
• To investigate whether dual-task costs are more pronounced in children and older adults compared to young adults.
• To identify gaps in the literature regarding lifespan development of dual-task performance.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted using Web of Science and PubMed.
• Studies included were those comparing dual-task performance (posture + concurrent task) in healthy children, young adults, and/or older adults.
• Seventy-nine studies met the inclusion criteria for the review.

Main Results:

• Dual-task costs were confirmed to be significantly increased in older adults.
• Evidence for increased dual-task costs in children was weak, showing only a slight trend.
• No studies directly compared children, young adults, and older adults within the same experimental paradigm.

Conclusions:

• Older adults experience greater dual-task costs when performing postural and concurrent tasks.
• Further high-quality research is required to understand dual-task performance across the entire lifespan, especially in children.
• Training may improve dual-task performance in older adults, but this needs investigation in other age groups.