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Effect of dual-task interaction combining postural and visual perturbations on cortical activity and postural control
Ryoki Nishimoto1, Sayaka Fujiwara2, Yumiko Kutoku3
1Department of Neurology, Kawasaki Medical School, Okayama 701-0192, Japan; Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan.
Neuroimage
|August 30, 2023
Summary
Concurrent visual and postural tasks can enhance brain activity in specific areas, but visual distractions impair postural control. This supports the "Cross talk model" of dual-tasking and highlights the importance of considering neural resource capacity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Human Motor Control
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Cortical involvement in human postural control is suggested by prior research using activity measurements and dual-task paradigms.
- Dual-task paradigms show performance declines and context-specific facilitation, prompting ongoing theoretical debate.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate postural control and cortical activity under varying visual conditions using virtual reality and functional near-infrared spectroscopy.
- To examine the influence of concurrent visual and postural perturbations on neural processing and stability.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a virtual reality system for postural perturbation and a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) system for cortical activity measurement.
- Assessed 24 healthy participants across conditions involving combined postural and visual perturbations and visual distractors.
Main Results:
- Concurrent visual and postural perturbations facilitated cortical activity in the supplementary motor area (SMA) and superior parietal lobe.
- Visual distractors degraded postural control and reduced cortical activation in the SMA.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the
- Cross talk model
- suggesting concurrent tasks utilizing similar neural domains can enhance performance.
- Emphasizes the need to consider cortical resource capacity and activated neural domains in dual-task research and training.
