Abstract
Introduction: Dual-task studies have demonstrated that walking is attention-demanding for younger adults. However, numerous studies have attributed this to task type rather than the amount of required to accomplish the task. This study examined four tasks: two discrete (i.e., short intervals of attention) and two continuous (i.e., sustained attention) to determine whether greater attentional demands result in greater dual-task costs due to an overloaded processing capacity.Methods: Nineteen young adults (21.5 ± 3.6 years, 13 females) completed simple reaction time (SRT) and go/no-go (GNG) discrete cognitive tasks and n-back (NBK) and double number sequence (DNS) continuous cognitive tasks with or without self-paced walking. Prefrontal cerebral hemodynamics were measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and performance was measured using response time, accuracy, and gait speed.Results: Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed decreased accuracy with increasing cognitive demands (p = 0.001) and increased dual-task accuracy costs (p < 0.001). Response times were faster during the single compared to dual-tasks during the SRT (p = 0.005) and NBK (p = 0.004). DNS gait speed was also slower in the dual compared to single task (p < 0.001). Neural findings revealed marginally significant interactions between dual-task walking and walking alone in the DNS (p = 0.06) and dual -task walking compared to the NBK cognitive task alone (p = 0.05).Conclusion: Neural findings suggest a trend towards increased PFC activation during continuous tasks. Cognitive and motor measures revealed worse performance during the discrete compared to continuous tasks. Future studies should consider examining different attentional demands of motor tasks.
Highlights
Dual-task studies have demonstrated that walking is attention-demanding for younger adults
It is hypothesized that increased prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation and poorer performance will be observed during the dual compared to single task conditions
Findings partially supported this hypothesis in that performance declines were mainly observed during the continuous tasks (i.e., NBK and double number sequence (DNS)) and performance decreased during dual compared to single tasks
Summary
Dual-task studies have demonstrated that walking is attention-demanding for younger adults. Performing cognitive and motor tasks simultaneously (i.e., dual-tasks) may cause interference and performance decrements on one or both tasks (Woollacott and Shumway-Cook, 2002; Leone et al, 2017). As outlined in the capacity sharing theory, once the limit of attentional capacity is exceeded, performance on one or both tasks may decline (Kahneman, 1973; Tombu and Jolicæur, 2003). This makes the effective allocation of attention essential for processing multiple tasks simultaneously. Examining neural activity during dual-task walking may provide greater insight into the processing strategies involved in cognitive-motor interference
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