Abstract
Background: Previous studies have reported positive effects of concurrent motor and cognitive task practice compared to motor or cognitive task practice only on dual-task performance in young adults. Knowledge about the effect of motor vs. cognitive task prioritization during practice on dual-task performance remains unclear and has not been investigated in depth so far. Thus, we examined the effects of motor task compared to cognitive task prioritization during dual-task practice on motor-cognitive performance in healthy young adults.Methods: Healthy young adults were randomly assigned to dual-task (DT; i.e., concurrent motor and cognitive practice) or single-task (ST; i.e., motor or cognitive task practice only) practice groups. In DT practice, subjects were instructed to either prioritize the motor or the cognitive task. The motor task required subjects to keep a stabilometer in a horizontal position. The cognitive task involved serial three subtractions. Outcome variables were the root-mean-square error (RMSE) for the motor task and the total number of correct calculations for the cognitive task. All participants practiced for 2 consecutive days under their respective treatment condition and were tested under DT condition 24 h later (i.e., retention on day 3) without providing instructions on task prioritization.Results: Irrespective of prioritization (i.e., prioritize the motor task or the cognitive task), the DT practice groups similarly improved their DT motor and cognitive task performance. The ST groups also improved motor or cognitive performance depending on their respective training contents (i.e., motor practice improved RMSE and cognitive practice improved number of correct calculations but not vice versa).Conclusion: We conclude that DT compared to ST practice is well-suited to improve DT performance, irrespective of task-prioritization. DT but not ST practice resulted in an improved modulation of both domains (i.e., motor and cognitive) during DT performance. Our findings might be explained by freeing up central resources following DT practice that can be used to effectively perform the concurrent execution of motor and cognitive processing demands. However, this process is not further enhanced by the prioritized task domain.
Highlights
Situations involving the simultaneous control of two or more tasks are the norm rather than an exception in everyday life
Patients receiving variable instructions learned and retained the DT faster than participants receiving instructions not prioritizing any of the tasks. These results indicate that DT practice represents an effective training regimen to improve DT performance
We examined the effects of motor vs. cognitive task prioritization during DT practice on DT performance in healthy young adults
Summary
Situations involving the simultaneous control of two or more tasks are the norm rather than an exception in everyday life. Performing a motor task (e.g., standing or walking) while concurrently being involved in a cognitive task (e.g., talking and memorizing signs) results in performance decrements in one or both of the executed tasks. Beauchet et al (2005) found a significantly slower walking speed (i.e., balance performance) and a reduced number of enumerated figures (i.e., cognitive performance) under dual-task (DT) compared to single-task (ST) conditions in healthy young adults. These performance decrements are even more pronounced in older individuals and in persons with neurological disorders (i.e., stroke and cerebral palsy). We examined the effects of motor task compared to cognitive task prioritization during dual-task practice on motor-cognitive performance in healthy young adults
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