The effect of complex cognitive context on the dynamic stability during gait initiation in older women

Yuxia Chen; Hongyuan Tang; Yuanxin Wang; Chunxia Jin; Lihong Wang; Wensheng Miao; Xiangdong Wang

doi:10.3389/fnagi.2023.1342570

The effect of complex cognitive context on the dynamic stability during gait initiation in older women

Front Aging Neurosci. 2024 Jan 11:15:1342570. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1342570. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Yuxia Chen^{1

2}, Hongyuan Tang², Yuanxin Wang³, Chunxia Jin⁴, Lihong Wang⁵, Wensheng Miao⁶, Xiangdong Wang⁷

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Exercise and Health Sciences of Ministry of Education, School of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.
² Henan Sports Science and Technology Center (Henan Anti-Doping Center), Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
³ Henan Provincial Third People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
⁴ Huanghe Science and Technology College, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
⁵ School of Physical Education, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
⁶ China Research Center on Aging, Beijing, China.
⁷ School of Physical Education, Jimei University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.

Abstract

Background: Changes in cognitive control are considered potential factors affecting voluntary motor movements during gait initiation (GI). Simulating environments with higher cognitive resource demands have an effect on the stability of GI task performance, which is of significant importance for assessing fall risk in the older adults and devising fall risk management measures in multiple environments. This study aims to reveal the influence of complex cognitive competitive environment with increased cognitive demands on the dynamic stability during GI in the older women.

Methods: Twenty-three older females and twenty-three younger females performed walking tests under three conditions: voluntary initiation (SI), visual light reaction time task (LRT), and cognitive interference + visual light reaction time task (C + LRT). Eight cameras (Qualisys, Sweden, model: Oqus 600) and three force plates (Kistler, Switzerland, model: 9287C) are used to obtain kinematic and kinetic data. To recorde the trajectory of center of pressure (CoP) and the position of the foot placement, and compute the anterior-posterior (A-P) and medio-lateral (M-L) dynamic stability at the onset and end moments of the single-leg support by means of center of mass (CoM) and gait spatiotemporal parameters.

Results: Older women responded to the effect of complex environments involving cognitive competition on body stability by prolonging the lateral displacement time of the CoP during the anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) phase, reducing step length and velocity, and increasing step width and foot inclination angle.

Conclusion: Complex initiation environments lead to competition for cognitive resources in the brain, resulting in decreased stability of GI motor control in older adults. The higher the complexity of the cognitive resource demands environment, the lower the stability of GI in older adults, and the greater the effect on their M-L stability at the onset of stepping.

Keywords: anticipatory postural adjustments; cognitive context; dynamic stability; gait initiation; visual reaction time.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by the National Social Science Fund: Research on Fall Risk Assessment and Exercise Intervention Strategies for the Elderly in China [Project No. 23BTY120]; and the Nation Key Technologies Research and Development Program: Older People Disability Classification and Assessment Standard System and Early Warning Model Research, Research on Elderly Disability Prevention and Intervention Management Network and Technology in China [Project No. 2020YFC2008501]; and the Henan Provincial Science and Technology Research Project: Neuromuscular Control of Balance-Corrected Postural Responses to Sudden Perturbations in Older People [Project No. 2020YFC2008501]. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of this manuscript.