Article

Dual tasks destabilize task performance as they involve competing demands for
cognitive and physical resources. Several studies have reported that dual-task
walking activates the prefrontal cortex (PFC), and recent studies have indicated
a relationship between PFC and dual-task deterioration in healthy subjects.
However, PFC activity during dual-task walking in stroke patients remains
unclear. We investigated the association between PFC activity and dual-task
interference on physical and cognitive performance in stroke patients. This study
included 14 stroke patients and 14 healthy subjects who performed a calculation
task while walking at a comfortable pace on the floor. PFC activity was assessed
using wearable near-infrared spectroscopy. The calculation task and trunk linear
accelerations were evaluated as measures of cognitive and physical performance.
The dual-task deterioration on both physical and cognitive performance of stroke
patients was significantly higher than in healthy subjects. PFC activation during
dual-task walking was significantly lower in stroke patients. Although right PFC
activation was negatively correlated with dual-task deterioration on physical
performance in stroke patients, left PFC activation was negatively correlated
with the dual-task cost on cognitive performance in healthy subjects. Thus,
during dual-task walking, PFC activation might prioritize physical demands in
stroke patients, but might prioritize cognitive demands in healthy subjects.
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Langue : ANGLAIS