Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Revised and Neuroimaging-Compatible Versions of the Dual Task Screen
Published on: October 5, 2020
Comparison of practice-related changes in dual task walking performance and neural efficiency between older adults
Manuel E Hernandez1, Robert W Motl2, Frederick W Foley3
1Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Neuroscience Program, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Beckman Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
Background:
There is limited research comparing both performance and brain control of walking between older adults with progressive and relapsing-remitting MS.
Objective:
This study compared older adults with progressive and relapsing-remitting MS for differences in prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation in single- and dual-task-walking and practice-related effects on neural efficiency, walking, and cognitive performances.
Methods:
Older adults with progressive (n = 32, age=65±6ys) and relapsing-remitting (n = 63, age=65±4ys) MS completed three conditions (single-task walk, single-task-alpha, i.e., cognitive interference task, and dual-task-walk) with three repeated trials wherein we measured PFC oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2), stride velocity and letter generation rate. Task, trial, and group effects and interactions were analyzed using linear mixed effects models.
Results:
The task-related (i.e. single-to-dual task walking) increase in PFC HbO2 was greater in progressive than in relapsing-remitting MS (p < 0.001), while the practice-related decrease in dual-task PFC HbO2 was smaller in progressive than in relapsing-remitting MS (p < 0.001). Progressive MS was associated with slower stride velocity overall, but repeated trials resulted in faster stride velocity and correct letter generation rate for both groups.
Conclusions:
Practice-related improvements in cognitive and motor performances coupled with reduced PFC HbO2 over dual-task walking trials suggest attenuated improvements of efficiency in brain control of attention-demanding locomotion in progressive MS.
