Motor dual task with eyes closed improves postural control in patients with functional motor disorders: A...

Functional motor disorders (FMD) are highly disabling neurological conditions in which postural control deficits increase the risk of falls and disability in performing daily living activities. Scattered evidence suggests that such disturbances may depend on abnormal attentional focus and might improve with distraction.

How do motor and cognitive dual tasks performed under two different sensory conditions shape postural control in patients with FMD.

This posturographic study involved 30 patients with FMD (age, 45.20 ± 14.57 years) and 30 healthy controls (age, 41.20 ± 16.50 years). Postural parameters were measured with eyes open, and eyes closed in quiet stance (single task) and on a motor dual task (m-DT) and a calculation (cognitive) dual task (c-DT). The dual task effect (DTE, expressed in percentage) on motor and cognitive performance was calculated for sway area, length of Center of Pressure (CoP), and velocity of CoP displacement.

There was a statistically significant three-way interaction between task, condition, and group for the DTE on sway area (p = 0.03). The mean sway area DTE on the motor task in the eyes-closed condition was increased by 70.4 % in the healthy controls, while it was decreased by 1% in the patient group (p = 0.003). No significant three-way interaction was observed for the DTE on length of CoP and velocity of CoP displacement.

This study provides novel preliminary evidence for the benefit of a simple motor dual task in the eyes closed condition as a way to improve postural control in patients with FMD. These findings are relevant for the management of postural control disorders in patients with FMD.