This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Services Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire PubMed PubMed Citation

Effect of Motor Practice on Dual-Task Performance in Older Adults

¹ Jacobs Center for Lifelong Learning and Institutional Development, Jacobs University Bremen, Germany.
² Department of Biomedical Engineering and Center for Neurological Restoration, The Cleveland Clinic
³ Center for Functional Electrical Stimulation, Louis Stokes VAMC, Cleveland, Ohio.

Address correspondence to Jay L. Alberts, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Center for Neurological Restoration, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195. E-mail: albertj{at}ccf.org

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of motor practice on cognitive and motor performance in older adults under single- and dual-task conditions. Fourteen younger (19–28 years) and 12 older adults (67–75 years) performed a precision grip sine wave force-tracking and a working memory task under single- and dual-task conditions. Participants performed a pretest, 100 motor practice trials, and a post-test. In the force-tracking and cognitive task, young outperformed older adults. Motor practice improved force-tracking under single- and dual-task conditions for both groups. However, practice did not prevent a decline in motor performance for older adults when they moved from single- to dual-task conditions. After practice, older adults improved cognitive performance in dual-task conditions. Advances in age appear to be associated with a decrease in the ability to manage and coordinate multiple tasks, which remains after extended practice.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. L. Alberts, C. Voelcker-Rehage, K. Hallahan, M. Vitek, R. Bamzai, and J. L. Vitek Bilateral subthalamic stimulation impairs cognitive-motor performance in Parkinson's disease patients Brain, December 1, 2008; 131(12): 3348 - 3360. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]