title: Effect of concurrent cognitive tasks on gait features among children post-severe traumatic brain injury and typically-developed controls.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate and compare the influence of concurrent cognitive tasks on gait characteristics in children post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) and typically-developed (TD) controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen children post-TBI (aged 9.5 ± 2.2 years) and 15 TD controls (aged 9.9 ± 1.3 years) were included in the study. The children were asked to walk under three conditions: (1) walking at a self-selected speed, (2) walking at a self-selected speed while memorizing and recalling a series of three random numbers and (3) walking at a self-selected speed while listening and identifying commonly experienced sounds. Gait parameters include walking speed, step time and length and step time and length variability as measured with the GAITRite(®) system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Introduction of a concurrent task led to decreased walking speed and step length and increased step time and step length variability in both groups, but with a significantly prominent effect in children post-TBI. The results also showed that the effect of a concurrent cognitive task on walking depended on the complexity level of the task.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When children were asked to perform an additional task while they were walking, this had a negative effect on their gait. One may deduce from these results that control of the rhythmic stepping mechanism at a self-selected walking speed in children is dependant to an extent on their ability to focus attention on their gait. In children post-TBI who usually have an attention deficit anyway, this ability is severely disturbed.
authors.affiliation: Sackler Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Professions, Physical Therapy Department, Tel-Aviv University, Israel. michalkz@post.tau.ac.il
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katz-Leurer
authors.forename: Hemda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rotem
authors.forename: Ofer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Keren
authors.forename: Shirley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meyer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D002648:Child; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D004856:Postural Balance; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*