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Does an Externally Focused Dual-task Mitigate Real-time Conscious Postural Control in Older Adults?
Devon K T Li1, Toby C T Mak1,2, Thomson W L Wong1,2
1School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Experimental Aging Research
|September 30, 2021
Summary
Older adults
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Biomechanics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Aging is associated with declines in postural control.
- Understanding conscious postural control (reinvestment) and its relationship with postural sway is crucial for fall prevention in older adults.
- Compliant surfaces increase postural difficulties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how real-time conscious postural control (reinvestment) and postural sway change with increasing postural difficulty on a compliant surface in older adults.
- To investigate the effect of an externally focused dual-task on reinvestment and postural sway in a challenging standing position.
Main Methods:
- Thirty-two older adults performed balance tasks on foam in four randomized positions: wide-based (WBF), narrow-based (NBF), tandem (TBF), and tandem with dual-task (TBFE).
- Real-time reinvestment was measured using Alpha2 T3-Fz Electroencephalogram (EEG) coherence.
- Postural sway was quantified by total sway length (TSL).
Main Results:
- Postural sway increased from WBF to NBF and decreased from NBF to TBF, with no significant differences in reinvestment across positions.
- An externally focused dual-task (TBFE) did not mitigate reinvestment or improve balance compared to a single task (TBF) in a challenging stance.
- These findings suggest that dual-tasking does not enhance conscious control or balance in older adults with good balance capabilities under these conditions.
Conclusions:
- Postural sway is sensitive to postural difficulty on compliant surfaces, but conscious postural control (reinvestment) is not significantly affected by these variations.
- Externally focused dual-tasking does not appear to be an effective strategy for improving conscious postural control or balance performance in older adults with good balance capabilities.
- Further research is needed to explore alternative strategies for enhancing postural control and reducing fall risk in aging populations.
