@article{ref1,
title="Effects of concurrent cognitive task on pre-landing muscle response latency during stepping down activity in older adults with and without a history of falls",
journal="Disability and rehabilitation",
year="2008",
author="Tsang, William W. N. and Lee, K. Y. Karen and Fu, Amy S. N.",
volume="30",
number="15",
pages="1116-1122",
abstract="PURPOSE: To investigate the co-contraction of ankle muscles in older subjects with and without a history of falls during a stepping down activity, and whether the co-contraction was disrupted by a concurrent cognitive task. METHOD: Ten fallers and 9 non-fallers (mean age = 72.0 +/- 5.0 and 72.1 +/- 7.3 years, respectively) were recruited. Electromyography (EMG) of the tibialis anterior (TA) and medial gastrocnemius (MG) was recorded during stepping down with and without a concurrent cognitive task. Co-contraction was investigated using the time between the EMG onset and the foot touching a force-platform, termed the pre-landing muscle response latency. RESULTS: The fallers showed longer pre-landing muscle response latencies in the TA compared with non-fallers (141.1 +/- 58.1 ms and 110.9 +/- 68.2 ms, respectively). With a concurrent cognitive task, the pre-landing muscle response latencies in the TA were shortened in fallers significantly more than in non-fallers (44.4% and 15.5%, respectively). No significant difference in MG activation was found between 2 groups in the stepping down activity with and without cognitive task. CONCLUSIONS: Subjects with history of falls exhibit a greater shortening in the pre-landing muscle response latency than non-fallers when distracted during stepping down. Disruption of their co-contraction in ankle joint might precipitate such older adults to fall.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0963-8288",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}