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Effects of Balance Status and Age on Muscle Activation While Walking Under Divided Attention

Departments of ¹ Psychology and ² Exercise Science, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Address correspondence to Sarah Fraser, Center for Research in Human Development, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street West, Montréal, Québec, H4B 1R6, Canada. E-mail: sfraser{at}alcor.concordia.ca

We examined the role of attention during different phases of the gait cycle by using a dual-task paradigm. Younger and older adults performed a self-paced treadmill walking task, a semantic judgment task, and both tasks simultaneously. We recorded vocal reaction time for the judgment task, and we recorded muscle activity by the use of electromyography. We derived dual-task costs from difference scores (single vs dual task). Our analysis of the judgment task showed that both groups responded more quickly during dual-task conditions than during single-task conditions. In five of eight muscle groups, stance-phase muscle activity decreased significantly from dual to single task. For older adults, individuals with poor balance increased their muscle activity during dual-task performance. These results suggest that, during moderately demanding walking and cognitive performance, poor balancers can compensate successfully for their motoric vulnerability.