Abstract
BackgroundThe development of treatments for freezing of gait (FOG) in Parkinson’s disease (PD) requires experimental study set-ups in which FOG is likely to occur, and is amenable to therapeutic interventions. We explore whether the ‘Auditory Stroop Task’ (AST) can be used to increase cognitive load (and thereby elicit FOG), simultaneously with visual cues (as a therapeutic intervention for FOG). We additionally examined how these two contrasting effects might interact in affecting gait and FOG parameters.ObjectivesWe investigated whether: (1) the ‘Auditory Stroop Task’ (AST) influences gait in healthy elderly and persons with PD who experience FOG, and increases the frequency of FOG events among PD patients; (2) the AST and visual cues interact; and (3) different versions of the AST exert different cognitive loads.MethodsIn ‘Experiment 1’, 19 healthy elderly subjects performed a walking task while performing a high and low load version of the AST. Walking with a random numbers task, and walking without cognitive load served as control conditions. In ‘Experiment 2’, 20 PD patients with FOG and 18 healthy controls performed a walking task with the AST, and no additional cognitive load as control condition. Both experiments were performed with and without visual cues. Velocity, cadence, stride length, and stride time were measured in all subjects. FOG severity was measured in patients.ResultsCompared to the control conditions, the AST negatively affected all gait parameters in both patients and controls. The AST did not increase the occurrence of FOG in patients. Visual cues reduced the decline in stride length induced by cognitive load in both groups. Both versions of the AST exerted similar effects on gait parameters in controls.ConclusionsThe AST is well-suited to simulate the effects of cognitive load on gait parameters, but not FOG severity, in gait experiments in persons with PD and FOG.
Highlights
Cognitive dual tasks negatively affect gait in elderly people [1,2,3]
We investigated whether: (1) the ‘Auditory Stroop Task’ (AST) influences gait in healthy elderly and persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who experience freezing of gait (FOG), and increases the frequency of FOG events among PD patients; (2) the AST and visual cues interact; and (3) different versions of the AST exert different cognitive loads
Compared to the control conditions, the AST negatively affected all gait parameters in both patients and controls
Summary
Cognitive dual tasks negatively affect gait in elderly people [1,2,3]. The relationship between dual tasks and gait is influenced by factors such as age, attentional resources, neurological comorbidity, and the type and complexity of the dual task applied [1, 2, 4]. Compared to agematched healthy controls, persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are more susceptible to gait interference by dual tasks [5, 6] This effect is even more pronounced in the presence of freezing of gait (FOG) [7, 8], a debilitating motor symptom occurring predominantly in advanced stages of PD [5, 9]. In PD, dual tasks and external cues are often studied simultaneously [3, 10, 14,15,16,17,18,19] In such studies, the cognitive task applied would ideally meet the following criteria. We examined how these two contrasting effects might interact in affecting gait and FOG parameters.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 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 callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
