@article{ref1,
title="Walking in high-risk settings: do older adults still prioritize gait when distracted by a cognitive task?",
journal="Experimental brain research",
year="2014",
author="Schaefer, Sabine and Schellenbach, Michael and Lindenberger, Ulman and Woollacott, Marjorie",
volume="233",
number="1",
pages="79-88",
abstract="When a cognitive and a motor task like walking or keeping one's balance are performed concurrently, performance usually deteriorates. Older adults have often been shown to prioritize their motor performance in such dual-task situations, possibly to protect themselves from falls. The current study investigates whether these prioritization behaviors can still be observed when several challenges are combined. Younger (20-30 years old) and older adults (60-70 years old; n = 24 in each group) were asked to walk through virtual environments with and without a cognitive load (3-back task). Walking difficulty was increased by walking on an elevated surface or on a narrow as opposed to a broad track, or both. Walking instructions emphasized speed and accuracy (avoiding missteps). No instruction was given concerning which performance dimension should be prioritized during dual-task trials. Participants decreased their 3-back performance while walking. Younger adults maintained their walking speed on elevated surfaces and were able to keep the number of missteps low, even when walking on a narrow track while performing the cognitive task. Older adults increased their walking speed on elevated relative to even surfaces and committed more missteps under cognitive load. <br><br>RESULTS suggest that task prioritization might fail in healthy older adults if several challenges are combined in high-risk settings.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0014-4819",
doi="10.1007/s00221-014-4093-8",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00221-014-4093-8"
}