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Published on: March 11, 2021
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Is Associated With Increased Dual-Task Cost During Ambulation: A Preliminary Study
Shanti M Pinto1, Mark A Newman, Michael S Runyon
1From the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Carolinas Rehabilitation, Charlotte, North Carolina (SMP, MAN, MAH); Department of Emergency Medicine, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, North Carolina (MSR, MG); and Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Penn State Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania (LMG).
Dual-task cost, not gait speed, may better detect mobility impairments after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). This measure showed greater deficits in mTBI patients during cognitive tasks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) can lead to subtle, yet significant, long-term neurological deficits.
- Assessing functional mobility after mTBI is crucial for recovery and return to daily activities.
- Dual-task interference, the impact of performing a cognitive task while ambulating, is a sensitive indicator of neurological function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of varying cognitive loads on mobility in individuals with recent mTBI.
- To compare the sensitivity of dual-task cost versus simple gait speed in identifying mobility impairments post-mTBI.
Main Methods:
- Eleven adults within one week of mTBI and ten healthy controls performed gait trials under single-task and three dual-task conditions (low, medium, high cognitive load).
- Dual-task cost was calculated to quantify the performance decrement during dual-tasking.
- Statistical analyses compared gait speed and dual-task cost between groups and across conditions.
Main Results:
- Individuals with mTBI exhibited slower gait speeds compared to controls (P < 0.001).
- Dual-task cost was significantly higher in the mTBI group across low and high cognitive loads (P < 0.05).
- A substantial proportion of mTBI participants (9/11) exceeded the minimal detectable change for dual-task cost, indicating significant impairment.
Conclusions:
- Dual-task cost appears to be a more sensitive metric than gait speed for detecting mobility impairments in the early stages after mTBI.
- This finding suggests that dual-task assessments can provide valuable insights into the functional deficits following mild traumatic brain injury.
