title: The division of visual attention affects the transition point from level walking to stair descent in healthy, active older adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stair descent is a frequent daily activity that poses great risks for injury due to falling. Very little is understood about the attentional demands of stair descent and their changes with aging. The present study compared combined locomotor and cognitive functioning during different phases of stair descent between healthy young and older individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixteen young and sixteen healthy older subjects walked down a 5-step staircase, performing a simultaneous visual Stroop task (i.e., a dual task) during the approach, transition or steady-state descent phases in some trials. Three dimensional kinematics of trunk and foot motion were recorded along with the accuracy and dual task costs (DTCs) for responses to the Stroop stimuli.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dual tasking influenced both gait and cognitive performance for all subjects, and older adults generally walked slower with higher foot clearances and had greater DTCs. Specific age differences were found at stair transition where older adults showed more attentional effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Healthy, active older adults showed changes to attention and planning due to normal aging specifically associated with a crucial point of fall risk during stair descent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Telonio
authors.affiliation: Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration (CIRRIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blanchet
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences (RISES), Liverpool John Moores University, UK.
authors.forename: Constantinos N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Maganaris
authors.affiliation: Centre for Sports Medicine and Human Performance, Brunel University, UK.
authors.forename: Vasilios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Baltzopoulos
authors.affiliation: Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration (CIRRIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Villeneuve
authors.affiliation: Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration (CIRRIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada. Electronic address: brad.mcfadyen@rea.ulaval.ca.
authors.forename: Bradford J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: McFadyen
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000502:physiology; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: DTCs; Dual task; Elderly; Executive function; Locomotion; MFC; Stair gait; dual task costs; minimal foot clearance