Cognitive load affects lower limb force-time relations during voluntary rapid stepping in healthy old and young adults.
BACKGROUND
Quick step execution may prevent falls when balance is lost; adding a concurrent task delays this function. We investigate whether push-off force-time relations during the execution of rapid voluntary stepping is affected by a secondary task in older and young adults.


METHODS
Nineteen healthy older adults and 12 young adults performed rapid voluntary stepping under single- and dual-task conditions. Peak power, peak force, and time to peak force during preparatory and swing phases of stepping were extracted from center of pressure and ground reaction force data.


RESULTS
For dual-task condition compared with single-task condition, older adults show a longer time to reach peak force during the preparation and swing phases compared with young adults (approximately 25% vs approximately 10%, respectively). Peak power and peak force were not affected by a concurrent attention-demanding task.


CONCLUSIONS
Older adults have difficulty allocating sufficient attention for fast muscle recruitment when concurrently challenged by an attention-demanding task.
Melzer
Itshak
I
Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Liebermann
D G
DG
Krasovsky
T
T
Oddsson
Lars I E
LI
D000058:Accidental Falls; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time