Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026
Revised and Neuroimaging-Compatible Versions of the Dual Task Screen
Published on: October 5, 2020
A useful cognitive motor dual task paradigm in prodromal and manifest Huntington's disease
Emma Churchill1, Shelby Hughes2, Andrew Hall3
1Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
Introduction:
Individuals with Huntington's disease (HD) experience increased difficulty with balance throughout disease progression. Adding a simultaneous cognitive task to a balance assessment, referred to as a dual task (DT) paradigm, may have a deleterious effect on balance, which can be expressed in terms of a Dual Task Cost (DTC), relative to a single task (ST) condition. The aim of this study is to explore whether a cognitive-motor DT paradigm uncovers balance deficits in prodromal (Pro-HD) and manifest HD, compared to healthy adults (HA).
Methods:
Balance under ST and DT conditions was examined using the BTracks Balance Plate and Balance software in 30 individuals with HD, 17 individuals with Pro-HD, and 20 HA. During the DT condition, participants were simultaneously administered a version of the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT). DTC is calculated as the relative ratio of ST to DT, controlling for ST performance: DTC= (ST - DT)/ST x100.
Results:
The HA group performed significantly better than the HD group on both the ST and DT conditions (p < 0.01), while balance scores between the HA and the Pro-HD groups were not significantly different. The DTC scores, however, were significantly better in the HA compared to both the HD (p < 0.001) and Pro-HD (p < 0.05) groups.
Conclusion:
Our findings indicate that the addition of a cognitive task interferes with participant's balance, reflecting real-life performance, and may have additional value for estimating transition to manifest disease, appraising fall risk, or serving as a valid outcome measure in observational and interventional trials in HD.
