Movement Analysis Using Dual-Task Walking Paradigms

Attention plays an important role in accommodating the demands of walking, and declines in attention ability may be a contributing factor to falls involving environmental hazards, or have been linked with gait disturbances particularly when under divided attention conditions. Walking when attention is divided (dual-task) has also been shown to affect the ability to appropriately control body movement during gait, and thus appears more sensitive to detect subtle gait deficits in older adults or patients following a mild traumatic brain injury (concussion) than undivided-attention walking (single-task). This presentation will discuss findings from our studies aimed to probe where attention is directed when approaching and stepping over an obstacle during gait and to examine how the presence of the obstacle affects the distribution of attention during walking. In addition, the effectiveness of utilizing dual-task gait paradigms to detect subtle neurological deficits following concussion will also be discussed.

Contact

  Robert Sainburg
  rls45@psu.edu