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Updated: Aug 24, 2025
Motor Dual-Tasks for Gait Analysis and Evaluation in Post-Stroke Patients
Published on: March 11, 2021
Effects of motor-cognitive interaction based on dual-task gait analysis recognition in middle age to aging people
Yuxin Zheng1,2, Shijuan Lang1,2, Junjie Liang1,2
1Department of Rehabilitation, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Background:
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered a transitional stage between cognitive normality and dementia among the elderly, and its associated risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) is 10-15 times higher than that of the general population. MCI is an important threshold for the prevention and control of AD, and intervention in the MCI stage may be the most effective strategy to delay the occurrence of AD.
Materials And Methods:
In this study, 68 subjects who met the inclusion criteria were divided into an MCI group (38 subjects) and normal elderly (NE) group (30 subjects). Both groups underwent clinical function assessments (cognitive function, walking function, and activities of daily living) and dual-task three-dimensional gait analysis (walking motor task and walking calculation task). Spatial-temporal parameters were obtained and reduced by principal component analysis, and the key biomechanical indexes were selected. The dual-task cost (DTC) was calculated for intra-group (task factor) and inter-group (group factor) comparisons.
Results:
The results of the principal component analysis showed that the cadence parameter had the highest weight in all three walking tasks. In addition, there were significant differences in the cadence both walking motor task (WMT) vs. walking task (WT) and walking calculation task (WCT) vs. WT in the MCI group. The cadence in the NE group only showed a significant difference between WMT and WT. The only differences between the MCI group and NE group was DTC cadence in WCT, and no differences were found for cadence in any of the three walking tasks.
Conclusion:
The results show that dual tasks based on cognitive-motor gait analysis of DTCcadence in MCI have potential value for application in early identification and provide theoretical support to improve the clinical diagnosis of MCI.
Insights
Dual-task gait analysis using cadence can help identify mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in the elderly. This method shows potential for early detection and improved clinical diagnosis of MCI, a precursor to Alzheimer's disease.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Neuroscience
- Biomechanical Engineering
Background:
- Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) signifies a transitional phase between normal cognition and dementia in older adults.
- Individuals with MCI face a significantly elevated risk (10-15 times higher) of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD).
- Intervention during the MCI stage is crucial for potentially delaying AD onset.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the utility of dual-task cognitive-motor gait analysis in identifying individuals with MCI.
- To compare gait parameters, specifically cadence, between individuals with MCI and cognitively normal elderly individuals under dual-task conditions.
Main Methods:
- Sixty-eight elderly participants were divided into an MCI group (38) and a normal elderly (NE) group (30).
- Clinical function assessments and three-dimensional gait analysis under single-task and dual-task conditions (walking motor task, walking calculation task) were performed.
- Principal component analysis was used to identify key biomechanical indexes, and dual-task cost (DTC) was calculated.
Main Results:
- Cadence was identified as the most significant parameter across all walking tasks via principal component analysis.
- The MCI group exhibited significant cadence differences between walking motor task (WMT) vs. walking task (WT) and walking calculation task (WCT) vs. WT.
- The NE group showed a significant cadence difference only between WMT and WT.
- The dual-task cost of cadence in the WCT (DTCcadence) was the only significant difference found between the MCI and NE groups.
Conclusions:
- Dual-task gait analysis, particularly DTCcadence, shows promise for the early identification of MCI.
- This approach offers theoretical support for enhancing the clinical diagnosis of MCI.
- Gait analysis under cognitive-motor dual-task conditions may serve as a valuable tool in geriatric cognitive assessment.
