The Effect of Cognitive Resource Competition Due to Dual-Tasking on the Irregularity and Control of Postural Movement Components

Postural control research suggests a non-linear, n-shaped relationship between dual-tasking and postural stability. Nevertheless, the extent of this relationship remains unclear. Since kinematic principal component analysis has offered novel approaches to study the control of movement components (PM) and n-shapes have been found in measures of sway irregularity, we hypothesized (H1) that the irregularity of PMs and their respective control, and the control tightness will display the n-shape. Furthermore, according to the minimal intervention principle (H2) different PMs should be affected differently. Finally, (H3) we expected stronger dual-tasking effects in the older population, due to limited cognitive resources. We measured the kinematics of forty-one healthy volunteers (23 aged 26 ± 3; 18 aged 59 ± 4) performing 80 s tandem stances in five conditions (single-task and auditory n-back task; n = 1–4), and computed sample entropies on PM time-series and two novel measures of control tightness. In the PM most critical for stability, the control tightness decreased steadily, and in contrast to H3, decreased further for the younger group. Nevertheless, we found n-shapes in most variables with differing magnitudes, supporting H1 and H2. These results suggest that the control tightness might deteriorate steadily with increased cognitive load in critical movements despite the otherwise eminent n-shaped relationship.

[1]  Thomas Haid,et al.  How does lower limb dominance influence postural control movements during single leg stance? , 2018, Human movement science.

[2]  M. Lacour,et al.  Posture control, aging, and attention resources: Models and posture-analysis methods , 2008, Neurophysiologie Clinique/Clinical Neurophysiology.

[3]  Raimon Jané,et al.  Influence of Parameter Selection in Fixed Sample Entropy of Surface Diaphragm Electromyography for Estimating Respiratory Activity , 2017, Entropy.

[4]  Sandro Fioretti,et al.  Approximate entropy on posturographic data of diabetic subjects with peripheral neuropathy , 2008 .

[5]  Shu-Chen Li,et al.  Dual-tasking postural control: Aging and the effects of cognitive demand in conjunction with focus of attention , 2006, Brain Research Bulletin.

[6]  Steven P. Broglio,et al.  Previous mild traumatic brain injury and postural-control dynamics. , 2011, Journal of athletic training.

[7]  I. Melzer,et al.  Age-Related Changes of Postural Control: Effect of Cognitive Tasks , 2001, Gerontology.

[8]  A. Macerata,et al.  Modulation of the postural effects of cognitive load by hypnotizability , 2009, Experimental Brain Research.

[9]  J. Coquart,et al.  Knowledge of the endpoint: effect on perceptual values. , 2008, International journal of sports medicine.

[10]  F. Borg,et al.  Entropy of balance - some recent results , 2010, Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation.

[11]  M. Woollacott,et al.  Systems contributing to balance disorders in older adults. , 2000, The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences.

[12]  Øyvind Gløersen,et al.  Technique analysis in elite athletes using principal component analysis , 2018, Journal of sports sciences.

[13]  Emily A Keshner,et al.  Sensory reweighting as a method of balance training for labyrinthine loss. , 2008, Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPT.

[14]  Nicolas Vuillerme,et al.  How attentional focus on body sway affects postural control during quiet standing , 2007, Psychological research.

[15]  Nicholas Stergiou,et al.  Approximate entropy detects the effect of a secondary cognitive task on postural control in healthy young adults: a methodological report , 2007, Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation.

[16]  Yves Lajoie,et al.  Cognitive tasks promote automatization of postural control in young and older adults. , 2017, Gait & posture.

[17]  Gabriele Wulf,et al.  Reciprocal Influences of Attentional Focus on Postural and Suprapostural Task Performance , 2004, Journal of motor behavior.

[18]  Xavier García-Massó,et al.  Effects of dual task difficulty in motor and cognitive performance: Differences between adults and adolescents. , 2017, Human movement science.

[19]  Michael A. Riley,et al.  Dynamic patterns of postural sway in ballet dancers and track athletes , 2005, Experimental Brain Research.

[20]  Michael I. Jordan,et al.  Optimal feedback control as a theory of motor coordination , 2002, Nature Neuroscience.

[21]  Giancarlo Diana,et al.  Cross-validation methods in principal component analysis: A comparison , 2002 .

[22]  Marjorie H. Woollacott,et al.  Non-visual spatial tasks reveal increased interactions with stance postural control , 2008, Brain Research.

[23]  Peter Andreas Federolf,et al.  A Novel Approach to Solve the “Missing Marker Problem” in Marker-Based Motion Analysis That Exploits the Segment Coordination Patterns in Multi-Limb Motion Data , 2013, PloS one.

[24]  Yves Lajoie,et al.  Continuous cognitive task promotes greater postural stability than an internal or external focus of attention. , 2015, Gait & posture.

[25]  F Honegger,et al.  Trunk sway measures of postural stability during clinical balance tests: effects of a unilateral vestibular deficit. , 2001, Gait & posture.

[26]  J. Allum,et al.  Trunk sway measures of postural stability during clinical balance tests: effects of age. , 2001, The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences.

[27]  P. Beek,et al.  To freeze or not to freeze? Affective and cognitive perturbations have markedly different effects on postural control. , 2011, Human movement science.

[28]  N. Troje.  Decomposing biological motion: a framework for analysis and synthesis of human gait patterns. , 2002, Journal of vision.

[29]  Peter A Federolf.  A novel approach to study human posture control: "Principal movements" obtained from a principal component analysis of kinematic marker data. , 2016, Journal of biomechanics.

[30]  Alexander S. Aruin,et al.  Frequency analysis approach to study balance control in individuals with multiple sclerosis , 2014, Journal of Neuroscience Methods.

[31]  R Bro,et al.  Cross-validation of component models: A critical look at current methods , 2008, Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry.

[32]  Nicholas Stergiou,et al.  Recovery of postural control after cerebral concussion: new insights using approximate entropy. , 2006, Journal of athletic training.

[33]  N. Teasdale,et al.  Attentional demands for postural control: the effects of aging and sensory reintegration. , 2001, Gait & posture.

[34]  Andreas Daffertshofer,et al.  PCA in studying coordination and variability: a tutorial. , 2004, Clinical biomechanics.

[35]  Chiarella Sforza,et al.  Multi-segmental movement patterns reflect juggling complexity and skill level. , 2017, Human movement science.

[36]  M. Woollacott,et al.  Attention and the control of posture and gait: a review of an emerging area of research. , 2002, Gait & posture.

[37]  M. Redfern,et al.  Visual influences on balance. , 2001, Journal of anxiety disorders.

[38]  Jianbo Gao,et al.  Shannon and Renyi Entropies to Classify Effects of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury on Postural Sway , 2011, PloS one.

[39]  Melvyn Roerdink,et al.  Regularity of center-of-pressure trajectories depends on the amount of attention invested in postural control , 2007, Experimental Brain Research.

[40]  Sébastien Tremblay,et al.  Persistent motor system abnormalities in formerly concussed athletes. , 2011, Journal of athletic training.

[41]  Lionel Bringoux,et al.  Do Visual and Vestibular Inputs Compensate for Somatosensory Loss in the Perception of Spatial Orientation? Insights from a Deafferented Patient , 2016, Front. Hum. Neurosci..

[42]  D. Winter,et al.  Unified theory regarding A/P and M/L balance in quiet stance. , 1996, Journal of neurophysiology.

[43]  Peter A Federolf,et al.  O 029 - Influence of lower-limb dominance on coordinative movement structures observed during single-leg balancing on a multiaxial unstable surface. , 2018, Gait & posture.

[44]  P. Beek,et al.  Sway regularity reflects attentional involvement in postural control: effects of expertise, vision and cognition. , 2009, Gait & posture.

[45]  Thomas Haid,et al.  Human Postural Control: Assessment of Two Alternative Interpretations of Center of Pressure Sample Entropy through a Principal Component Factorization of Whole-Body Kinematics , 2018, Entropy.

[46]  Mark S. Redfern,et al.  Vestibular function assessment using the NIH Toolbox , 2013, Neurology.

[47]  A M Bronstein,et al.  Multisensory integration in balance control. , 2016, Handbook of clinical neurology.

[48]  Benno M. Nigg,et al.  Age Effects in Postural Control Analyzed via a Principal Component Analysis of Kinematic Data and Interpreted in Relation to Predictions of the Optimal Feedback Control Theory , 2018, Front. Aging Neurosci..

[49]  Olaf Blanke,et al.  Multisensory effects on somatosensation: a trimodal visuo-vestibular-tactile interaction , 2016, Scientific Reports.

[50]  G. L. Pellecchia,et al.  Postural sway increases with attentional demands of concurrent cognitive task. , 2003, Gait & posture.

[51]  Gérome C. Gauchard,et al.  Added cognitive load through rotary auditory stimulation can improve the quality of postural control in the elderly , 2005, Brain Research Bulletin.

[52]  Øyvind Gløersen,et al.  Predicting Missing Marker Trajectories in Human Motion Data Using Marker Intercorrelations , 2016, PloS one.

[53]  M A Riley,et al.  Effects of Visual and Auditory Short-Term Memory Tasks on the Spatiotemporal Dynamics and Variability of Postural Sway , 2005, Journal of motor behavior.