Executive Functions Assessment Based on Wireless EEG and 3D Gait Analysis During Dual-Task: A Feasibility Study

Pasquale Arpaia; Renato Cuocolo; Allegra Fullin; Ludovica Gargiulo; Francesca Mancino; Nicola Moccaldi; Ersilia Vallefuoco; Paolo De Blasiis

doi:10.1109/JTEHM.2024.3357287

Executive Functions Assessment Based on Wireless EEG and 3D Gait Analysis During Dual-Task: A Feasibility Study

IEEE J Transl Eng Health Med. 2024 Jan 22:12:268-278. doi: 10.1109/JTEHM.2024.3357287. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Pasquale Arpaia¹, Renato Cuocolo², Allegra Fullin^{3

4}, Ludovica Gargiulo¹, Francesca Mancino¹, Nicola Moccaldi¹, Ersilia Vallefuoco⁵, Paolo De Blasiis³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Electrical Engineering and Information TechnologiesUniversity of Naples Federico II 80138 Naples Italy.
² Department of Medicine, Surgery, and DentistryScuola Medica SalernitanaUniversity of Salerno 84084 Salerno Italy.
³ Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive MedicineSection of Human AnatomyUniversity of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli Caserta 81100 Naples Italy.
⁴ Department of Advanced Biomedical SciencesUniversity of Naples Federico II 80138 Naples Italy.
⁵ Department of Psychology and Cognitive ScienceUniversity of Trento 38122 Rovereto Italy.

Abstract

Executive functions (EFs) are neurocognitive processes planning and regulating daily life actions. Performance of two simultaneous tasks, requiring the same cognitive resources, lead to a cognitive fatigue. Several studies investigated cognitive-motor task and the interference during walking, highlighting an increasing risk of falls especially in elderly and people with neurological diseases. A few studies instrumentally explored relationship between activation-no-activation of two EFs (working memory and inhibition) and spatial-temporal gait parameters. Aim of our study was to detect activation of inhibition and working memory during progressive difficulty levels of cognitive tasks and spontaneous walking using, respectively, wireless electroencephalography (EEG) and 3D-gait analysis. Thirteen healthy subjects were recruited. Two cognitive tasks were performed, activating inhibition (Go-NoGo) and working memory (N-back). EEG features (absolute and relative power in different bands) and kinematic parameters (7 spatial-temporal ones and Gait Variable Score for 9 range of motion of lower limbs) were analyzed. A significant decrease of stride length and an increase of external-rotation of foot progression were found during dual task with Go-NoGo. Moreover, a significant correlation was found between the relative power in the delta band at channels Fz, C4 and progressive difficulty levels of Go-NoGo (activating inhibition) during walking, whereas working memory showed no correlation. This study reinforces the hypothesis of the prevalent involvement of inhibition with respect to working memory during dual task walking and reveals specific kinematic adaptations. The foundations for EEG-based monitoring of cognitive processes involved in gait are laid. Clinical and Translational Impact Statement: Clinical and instrumental evaluation and training of executive functions (as inhibition), during cognitive-motor task, could be useful for rehabilitation treatment of gait disorder in elderly and people with neurological disease.

Keywords: EEG; Gait analysis; dual task; inhibition; working memory.

MeSH terms

Aged
Executive Function* / physiology
Feasibility Studies
Gait / physiology
Gait Analysis*
Humans
Walking / physiology

Grants and funding

This work was supported in part by the Innovative NeuroTechnology for Society (INTENSE) Project, funded by the Italian Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy (MIMI); in part by the Multiscale Integrated Approach to the Study of the Nervous System in Health and Disease under Grant DN. 1553 11.10.2022; and in part by the A Multiscale Integrated Approach to the Study of the Nervous System in Health and Disease (MNESYS) Project funded by NEXTGENERATIONEU (NGEU) and by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR), National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), under Grant PE0000006.