Abstract
In the process of walking, attentional resources are flexibly allocated to deal with varying environmental constraints correlated with attentional control (AC). A dual-task paradigm was used to investigate the effects of AC on gait and inter-joint coordination. Fifty students volunteered to participate in this study. Based on the reaction time (RT) in the Stroop task, the top 15 participants were assigned to the High Attentional Control (HAC) group, while the last 15 participants were assigned to the Low Attentional Control (LAC) group. The participants in the two groups were randomly asked to perform three tasks: (i) single 2-back working memory task (ST 2-back); (ii) single walking task (ST walking); and (iii) dual task (DT). Cognitive outcomes and gait spatiotemporal parameters were measured. Continuous relative phase (CRP), derived from phase angles of two adjacent joints, was used to assess inter-joint coordination. The LAC group exhibited significant task effects regarding RT, correct rate (CR), step width, gait cycle, step time, forefoot contact times, heel-forefoot times, hip-knee mean absolute relative phase (MARP), and deviation phase (DP) in the stance and swing phases (p < 0.05). In the HAC group, significant task effects were only detected in RT and foot progression angle of the left foot (p < 0.05). Under the three task conditions, the LAC group exhibited a higher CR in ST, longer heel contact times, and longer heel-forefoot times when compared with the LAC group (p < 0.05). Compared with the LAC group, the HAC group exhibited significantly smaller (closer to zero) MARP and weaker hip-knee DP values in the swing phase across all gait conditions (p < 0.05). In the stance phase, the HAC group had smaller MARP (closer to zero) values when compared with the LAC group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the ability to maintain gait control and modulate inter-joint coordination patterns in young adults is affected by the level of attentional control in accommodating gait disturbances. AC is correlated with the performance of motor control, which theoretically supports the competitive selection of athletes and fall prevention strategies for a specific population.
Highlights
IntroductionMany activities involve multitasking, which challenges both motor and cognitive functions
In human daily life, many activities involve multitasking, which challenges both motor and cognitive functions
It has been reported that safe walking is a highly attention-demanding task, which requires a Effects of Attentional Control high level of mobility skills and cognitive flexibility to attend to a range of environmental demands in order to control movement direction, identify and track visual targets, and be able to read or talk (Lajoie et al, 1993; Buchman et al, 2011)
Summary
Many activities involve multitasking, which challenges both motor and cognitive functions. Most laboratory studies use the dual-task paradigm to reproduce such daily situations, which is the primary approach to studying the interactions between cognitive processing and motor behavior (Kerr et al, 1985; Abbud et al, 2009; Nordin et al, 2010; Hallal et al, 2013; Patel et al, 2014; Leone et al, 2017) In these studies, walking was performed in tandem with another attention-demanding task, and performance of one or both tasks may be deteriorated (Neumann, 1984; Wickens, 1989; Mcsp, 1996; Shumway-cook and Woollacott, 2000; Leone et al, 2017), which is believed to result from competition for attentional resources (Bynickersonr, 1980) or competition for information processing neural pathways (Pashler, 1994). Regulation of dual-task walking can improve balancing abilities as well as the ability to selective apply attention (Verghese et al, 2012)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
