The Dual-task Condition Affects Motor Adaptation Responses during Gait

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a concurrent cognitive task on the adaptive process of reactive motor control during disturbed gait. [Subjects] Twenty healthy university students participated in this study, and they were separated into a single task group (n=10) and a dual task group (n=10). [Methods] All the subjects performed disturbed gait five times repeatedly and their data was recorded and analyzed by a motion capture system and force platforms. The negative work of each joint of the disturbed leg and the impulse of ground reaction force (GRF) were calculated and compared between the groups. [Results] There were no significant differences in the adaptive process to the impulse of GRF and negative work of the ankle joint. However, the adaptive process of negative work of the knee joint in the dual-task group was later than that in the single-task group. [Conclusion] These results suggest that the dual-task condition partially delays the adaptive process of reactive control in the lower extremity joints.