Gait Is Associated with Cognitive Flexibility: A Dual-Tasking Study in Healthy Older People
Objectives: To analyze which gait parameters are primarily influenced by cognitive flexibility, and whether such an effect depends on the walking condition used.Design: Cross-sectional analysis.Setting: Tübingen evaluation of Risk factors for Early detection of Neurodegenerative Disorders.Participan...
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Format: | Article |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2017-05-01
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Series: | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
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Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnagi.2017.00154/full |
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doaj-885ef3bed6994b0a844cd19e66d453ba |
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record_format |
Article |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Markus A. Hobert Markus A. Hobert Markus A. Hobert Sinja I. Meyer Sinja I. Meyer Sandra E. Hasmann Sandra E. Hasmann Florian G. Metzger Florian G. Metzger Ulrike Suenkel Ulrike Suenkel Gerhard W. Eschweiler Gerhard W. Eschweiler Daniela Berg Daniela Berg Daniela Berg Walter Maetzler Walter Maetzler Walter Maetzler Walter Maetzler |
spellingShingle |
Markus A. Hobert Markus A. Hobert Markus A. Hobert Sinja I. Meyer Sinja I. Meyer Sandra E. Hasmann Sandra E. Hasmann Florian G. Metzger Florian G. Metzger Ulrike Suenkel Ulrike Suenkel Gerhard W. Eschweiler Gerhard W. Eschweiler Daniela Berg Daniela Berg Daniela Berg Walter Maetzler Walter Maetzler Walter Maetzler Walter Maetzler Gait Is Associated with Cognitive Flexibility: A Dual-Tasking Study in Healthy Older People Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience aging dual tasking executive function gait cognitive flexibility |
author_facet |
Markus A. Hobert Markus A. Hobert Markus A. Hobert Sinja I. Meyer Sinja I. Meyer Sandra E. Hasmann Sandra E. Hasmann Florian G. Metzger Florian G. Metzger Ulrike Suenkel Ulrike Suenkel Gerhard W. Eschweiler Gerhard W. Eschweiler Daniela Berg Daniela Berg Daniela Berg Walter Maetzler Walter Maetzler Walter Maetzler Walter Maetzler |
author_sort |
Markus A. Hobert |
title |
Gait Is Associated with Cognitive Flexibility: A Dual-Tasking Study in Healthy Older People |
title_short |
Gait Is Associated with Cognitive Flexibility: A Dual-Tasking Study in Healthy Older People |
title_full |
Gait Is Associated with Cognitive Flexibility: A Dual-Tasking Study in Healthy Older People |
title_fullStr |
Gait Is Associated with Cognitive Flexibility: A Dual-Tasking Study in Healthy Older People |
title_full_unstemmed |
Gait Is Associated with Cognitive Flexibility: A Dual-Tasking Study in Healthy Older People |
title_sort |
gait is associated with cognitive flexibility: a dual-tasking study in healthy older people |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
series |
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
issn |
1663-4365 |
publishDate |
2017-05-01 |
description |
Objectives: To analyze which gait parameters are primarily influenced by cognitive flexibility, and whether such an effect depends on the walking condition used.Design: Cross-sectional analysis.Setting: Tübingen evaluation of Risk factors for Early detection of Neurodegenerative Disorders.Participants: A total of 661 non-demented individuals (49–80 years).Measurements: A gait assessment with four conditions was performed: a 20 m walk at convenient speed (C), at fast speed (F), at fast speed while checking boxes (FB), and while subtracting serial 7s (FS). Seven gait parameters from a wearable sensor-unit (McRoberts, Netherlands) were compared with delta Trail-Making-Test (dTMT) values, which is a measure of cognitive flexibility. Walking strategies of good and poor dTMT performers were compared by evaluating the patterns of gait parameters across conditions.Results: Five parameters correlated significantly with the dTMT in the FS condition, two parameters in the F and FB condition, and none in the C condition. Overall correlations were relatively weak. Gait speed was the gait parameter that most strongly correlated with the dTMT (r2 = 7.4%). In good, but not poor, dTMT performers differences between FB and FS were significantly different in variability-associated gait parameters.Conclusion: Older individuals need cognitive flexibility to perform difficult walking conditions. This association is best seen in gait speed. New and particularly relevant for recognition and training of deficits is that older individuals with poor cognitive flexibility have obviously fewer resources to adapt to challenging walking conditions. Our findings partially explain gait deficits in older adults with poor cognitive flexibility. |
topic |
aging dual tasking executive function gait cognitive flexibility |
url |
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnagi.2017.00154/full |
work_keys_str_mv |
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doaj-885ef3bed6994b0a844cd19e66d453ba2020-11-24T23:17:16ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience1663-43652017-05-01910.3389/fnagi.2017.00154221159Gait Is Associated with Cognitive Flexibility: A Dual-Tasking Study in Healthy Older PeopleMarkus A. Hobert0Markus A. Hobert1Markus A. Hobert2Sinja I. Meyer3Sinja I. Meyer4Sandra E. Hasmann5Sandra E. Hasmann6Florian G. Metzger7Florian G. Metzger8Ulrike Suenkel9Ulrike Suenkel10Gerhard W. Eschweiler11Gerhard W. Eschweiler12Daniela Berg13Daniela Berg14Daniela Berg15Walter Maetzler16Walter Maetzler17Walter Maetzler18Walter Maetzler19Center for Neurology and Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Department of Neurodegeneration, University of TübingenTübingen, GermanyDZNE, German Center for Neurodegenerative DiseasesTübingen, GermanyDepartment of Neurology, University of KielKiel, GermanyCenter for Neurology and Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Department of Neurodegeneration, University of TübingenTübingen, GermanyDZNE, German Center for Neurodegenerative DiseasesTübingen, GermanyCenter for Neurology and Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Department of Neurodegeneration, University of TübingenTübingen, GermanyDZNE, German Center for Neurodegenerative DiseasesTübingen, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry and PsychotherapyUniversity Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, GermanyGeriatric Center, University of TübingenTübingen, GermanyCenter for Neurology and Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Department of Neurodegeneration, University of TübingenTübingen, GermanyDZNE, German Center for Neurodegenerative DiseasesTübingen, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry and PsychotherapyUniversity Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, GermanyGeriatric Center, University of TübingenTübingen, GermanyCenter for Neurology and Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Department of Neurodegeneration, University of TübingenTübingen, GermanyDZNE, German Center for Neurodegenerative DiseasesTübingen, GermanyDepartment of Neurology, University of KielKiel, GermanyCenter for Neurology and Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Department of Neurodegeneration, University of TübingenTübingen, GermanyDZNE, German Center for Neurodegenerative DiseasesTübingen, GermanyDepartment of Neurology, University of KielKiel, GermanyGeriatric Center, University of TübingenTübingen, GermanyObjectives: To analyze which gait parameters are primarily influenced by cognitive flexibility, and whether such an effect depends on the walking condition used.Design: Cross-sectional analysis.Setting: Tübingen evaluation of Risk factors for Early detection of Neurodegenerative Disorders.Participants: A total of 661 non-demented individuals (49–80 years).Measurements: A gait assessment with four conditions was performed: a 20 m walk at convenient speed (C), at fast speed (F), at fast speed while checking boxes (FB), and while subtracting serial 7s (FS). Seven gait parameters from a wearable sensor-unit (McRoberts, Netherlands) were compared with delta Trail-Making-Test (dTMT) values, which is a measure of cognitive flexibility. Walking strategies of good and poor dTMT performers were compared by evaluating the patterns of gait parameters across conditions.Results: Five parameters correlated significantly with the dTMT in the FS condition, two parameters in the F and FB condition, and none in the C condition. Overall correlations were relatively weak. Gait speed was the gait parameter that most strongly correlated with the dTMT (r2 = 7.4%). In good, but not poor, dTMT performers differences between FB and FS were significantly different in variability-associated gait parameters.Conclusion: Older individuals need cognitive flexibility to perform difficult walking conditions. This association is best seen in gait speed. New and particularly relevant for recognition and training of deficits is that older individuals with poor cognitive flexibility have obviously fewer resources to adapt to challenging walking conditions. Our findings partially explain gait deficits in older adults with poor cognitive flexibility.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnagi.2017.00154/fullagingdual taskingexecutive functiongaitcognitive flexibility |