2BALANCE: Test-retest reliability of a cognitive-motor dual-task protocol

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Vestibular System Research
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Vestibular disorders present with dizziness and vertigo, often accompanied by cognitive and motor impairments.
• Current assessments typically evaluate these symptoms under single-task conditions, which may not fully represent real-world challenges.
• Dual-task assessments are valuable for understanding cognitive-motor interference in daily activities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the test-retest reliability of the 2BALANCE protocol.
• To assess the reliability of cognitive and motor tasks within the 2BALANCE protocol.
• To determine the suitability of the 2BALANCE protocol for clinical and research applications.

Main Methods:

• The 2BALANCE protocol was administered twice to 20 healthy young adults with a two-week interval.
• Participants completed two motor and five cognitive tasks in both single-task and dual-task conditions.
• Reliability was quantified using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), standard error of measurement, and minimal detectable difference.

Main Results:

• Most cognitive tasks exhibited favorable reliability (ICC range: 0.26–0.91), excluding the mental rotation task.
• The dynamic motor task demonstrated substantial reliability across all conditions (ICC range: 0.67–0.98).
• The static motor task showed good reliability during dual-tasking (ICC range: 0.50–0.92) and moderate reliability in single-tasking (ICC range: -0.26–0.75).

Conclusions:

• The 2BALANCE protocol generally demonstrates good test-retest consistency.
• The protocol is a reliable tool for assessing cognitive and motor function, particularly in dual-task scenarios.
• The mental rotation task requires further investigation due to its lower reliability.