Accessory stimulus modulates executive function during stepping task.
When multiple sensory modalities are simultaneously presented, reaction time can be reduced while interference enlarges. The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of task-irrelevant acoustic accessory stimuli simultaneously presented with visual imperative stimuli on executive function during stepping. Executive functions were assessed by analyzing temporal events and errors in the initial weight transfer of the postural responses prior to a step (anticipatory postural adjustment errors). Eleven healthy young adults stepped forward in response to a visual stimulus. We applied a choice reaction time task and the Simon task, which consisted of congruent and incongruent conditions. Accessory stimuli were randomly presented with the visual stimuli. Compared with trials without accessory stimuli, the anticipatory postural adjustment error rates were higher in trials with accessory stimuli in the incongruent condition and the reaction times were shorter in trials with accessory stimuli in all the task conditions. Analyses after division of trials according to whether anticipatory postural adjustment error occurred or not revealed that the reaction times of trials with anticipatory postural adjustment errors were reduced more than those of trials without anticipatory postural adjustment errors in the incongruent condition. These results suggest that accessory stimuli modulate the initial motor programming of stepping by lowering decision threshold and exclusively under spatial incompatibility facilitate automatic response activation. The present findings advance the knowledge of intersensory judgment processes during stepping and may aid in the development of intervention and evaluation tools for individuals at risk of falls.
Department of Physical Therapy, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Aichi, Japan;
Tatsunori
T
Watanabe
Department of Rehabilitation, Kawamura Hospital, Gifu, Japan; and.
Soichiro
S
Koyama
Faculty of Rehabilitation, School of Health Sciences, Fujita Health University, Aichi, Japan.
Shigeo
S
Tanabe
Department of Physical Therapy, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Aichi, Japan; nojima@met.nagoya-u.ac.jp.
Ippei
I
Nojima
D059031:Anticipation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003463:Cues; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology; D011601:Psychophysics; D011930:Reaction Time; D014796:Visual Perception; D055815:Young Adult
accessory stimulus; executive function; inhibition; judgment; postural control