The influence of cognitive-emotional tasks as autobiographical memory recollection and future projections during walking on walking characteristics in the elderly

Abstract

Dual-task (DT) studies have demonstrated that performing a secondary cognitive task alters gait. However, the tasks employed in these studies are typically of low ecological relevance, and have not emphasized a possible impact of emotional processing on gait parameters. The current work aim was to examine whether gait in old individuals is influenced by simultaneously preforming cognitive-emotional tasks of retrieving autobiographical memories (AM) or imagining future projections (FP), in a dual-task (DT) paradigm. Our working hypothesis was that similar to lab-based cognitive tasks, naturalistic, emotion-evoking processes may lead to alterations in gait execution. Twenty-four old adults were instructed to recollect AM and FP, in response to cue words that were chosen in preliminary interviews to be personally relevant. A single-task condition (ST) served as baseline and a cognitive verbal fluency task (VF) as an active control. Emotional responses to the tasks were subjectively rated using the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) scale, the autonomic-system activity was monitored using the MindWare Impedance Cardiograph, and gait was measured using the APDM's Mobility Lab™. AM and FP increased emotional valence relative to ST ( P < 0.0001), while VF had diverse emotional responses. This effect was corroborated by increases in skin conductance, which were higher in the DT conditions relative to ST ( P < 0.0001). DT led to a decrease in gait speed and cadence and an increase in double-limb-support, primarily in the VF condition and with a similar trend in AM and FP. Increase in emotional valence led to increases in gait speed ( P = 0.05) and cadence ( P = 0.011). The effect of AM and FP on walking characteristics in the elderly showed similar trends to that of VF. Walking was influenced by emotional aspects that accompanied the various tasks.