Dual Task Interference During Gait in Patients with Unilateral Vestibular Disorders

Overview

Journal J Neuroeng Rehabil

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialties Biomedical Engineering
Neurology
Rehabilitation Medicine

Date 2010 Sep 22

PMID 20854671

Citations 15

Authors

Alberto Nascimbeni

Andrea Gaffuri

Arminio Penno

Mara Tavoni

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Vestibular patients show slower and unsteady gait; they have also been shown to need greater cognitive resources when carrying out balance and cognitive dual tasks (DT). This study investigated DT interference during gait in a middle-aged group of subjects with dizziness and unsteadiness after unilateral vestibular neuronitis and in a healthy control group.

Methods: Fourteen individuals with subacute unilateral vestibular impairment after neuronitis and seventeen healthy subjects performed gait and cognitive tasks in single and DT conditions. A statistical gait analysis system was used and spatio-temporal parameters were considered. The cognitive task, consisting of backward counting by three, was tape recorded and the number of right figures was then calculated.

Results: Both patients and controls showed a more conservative gait during DT and between groups significant differences were not found. A significant decrease in cognitive performance during DT was found only in the vestibular group.

Conclusions: Results suggest that less attentional resources are available during gait in vestibular patients compared to controls, and that a priority is given in keeping up the motor task to the detriment of a decrease of the cognitive performance during DT.

Citing Articles

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