Effects of Neurocognitive Multitask Activities on a Novel Lower Extremity Functional Performance Test.

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Neuroscience
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Functional performance tests are crucial for assessing lower extremity function.
• Current tests may lack ecological validity, not fully replicating real-world demands.
• Incorporating cognitive challenges could better simulate dynamic environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of neurocognitive reactive and multitask components on a single-limb hop test's performance degradation.
• To determine if adding cognitive tasks increases the difficulty and ecological validity of the T-Drill Hop Test (TDHT).

Main Methods:

• A randomized within-subject design was employed with 32 healthy young adults.
• Participants completed three variations of the T-Drill Hop Test (TDHT): standard, reactive (R-TDHT), and neurocognitive reactive-recall (RR-TDHT).
• Completion times were recorded for both dominant and nondominant lower extremities, with statistical analysis using a test by limb ANOVA.

Main Results:

• Both the reactive TDHT (R-TDHT) and neurocognitive reactive-recall TDHT (RR-TDHT) significantly increased completion times compared to the standard TDHT.
• The RR-TDHT resulted in significantly longer completion times than the R-TDHT.
• No significant differences in completion time changes were observed between the dominant and nondominant limbs.

Conclusions:

• The addition of neurocognitive reactive and multitask components significantly increases the completion time of functional performance tests.
• These cognitive additions enhance the ecological validity of lower extremity functional performance tests like the TDHT.
• The findings suggest a more comprehensive assessment of functional performance by integrating cognitive demands.