Reducing postural sway by concurrently performing challenging cognitive tasks

Nadia Polskaia; Yves Lajoie

doi:10.1016/j.humov.2015.12.013

Reducing postural sway by concurrently performing challenging cognitive tasks

Hum Mov Sci. 2016 Apr:46:177-83. doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2015.12.013. Epub 2016 Jan 18.

Authors

Nadia Polskaia¹, Yves Lajoie²

Affiliations

¹ School of Human Kinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, 125 University Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada. Electronic address: npols098@uottawa.ca.
² School of Human Kinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, 125 University Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada. Electronic address: ylajoie@uottawa.ca.

PMID: 26796418
DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2015.12.013

Abstract

The present experiment varied cognitive complexity and sensory modality on postural control in young adults. Seventeen participants (23.71±1.99years) were instructed to stand feet together on a force platform while concurrently performing cognitive tasks of varying degrees of difficulty (easy, moderate and difficult). The cognitive tasks were presented both, auditorily and visually. Auditory tasks consisted of counting the occurrence of one or two letters and repeating a string of words. Visual tasks consisted of counting the occurrence of one or two numbers. With increasing cognitive demand, area of 95% confidence ellipse and ML sway variability was significantly reduced. The visual tasks reduced ML sway variability, whereas the auditory tasks increased COP irregularity. We suggest that these findings are primarily due to an increase in sensorimotor integration as a result of a shift in attentional focus.

Keywords: Cognitive demand; Dual-task; Postural control; Sensory modality.

MeSH terms

Attention*
Auditory Perception*
Female
Humans
Male
Memory, Short-Term*
Postural Balance*
Psychomotor Performance*
Serial Learning
Verbal Learning
Visual Perception*
Young Adult