title: Factors influencing dynamic prioritization during dual-task walking in healthy young adults.
abstract: Appropriate prioritization during dual-task walking is necessary to achieve task goals and maintain walking stability. We examined the effects of increased walking task difficulty on dual-task walking prioritization in healthy young adults. Walking under simple usual-base conditions was similar between equal-focus and cognitive-focus instructions, but these differed from walking-focus instructions, consistent with cognitive task prioritization. In contrast, narrow-base walking was similar between equal-focus and walking-focus instructions, but these differed from cognitive-focus instructions. This shift in prioritization with increasing walking task difficulty suggests that prioritization is dynamic and flexible.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. vekelly@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Valerie E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Alexis J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Eusterbrock
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shumway-Cook
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D004856:Postural Balance; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult