Exp Brain Res (2014) 232:2049–2060 DOI 10.1007/s00221-014-3894-0
Research Article
Effect of attentional interference on balance recovery in older adults C. Elaine Little · Marjorie Woollacott
Received: 9 December 2012 / Accepted: 25 February 2014 / Published online: 18 March 2014 © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014
Abstract Since most working memory (WM) tasks used in dual-task (DT) postural paradigms include both storage and processing of information, it is difficult to determine the extent to which each of these contributes to interference with balance control. In the current study, a change-detection task (changes in colored squares between two presentation events) that estimates visual working memory capacity (VWMC) was paired with tasks of increasing postural demand (stance, perturbation) in young adults (YAs) and older adults (OAs) and performance compared between the two postural conditions and across the two populations. The changedetection task was selected as it requires storage of information without updating or manipulation; 34 YAs, 34 OAs, and five frail OAs were recruited. A significant reduction in VWMC occurred with increasing postural demand during the perturbation condition for both YAs (p
Research Article
Effect of attentional interference on balance recovery in older adults C. Elaine Little · Marjorie Woollacott
Received: 9 December 2012 / Accepted: 25 February 2014 / Published online: 18 March 2014 © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014
Abstract Since most working memory (WM) tasks used in dual-task (DT) postural paradigms include both storage and processing of information, it is difficult to determine the extent to which each of these contributes to interference with balance control. In the current study, a change-detection task (changes in colored squares between two presentation events) that estimates visual working memory capacity (VWMC) was paired with tasks of increasing postural demand (stance, perturbation) in young adults (YAs) and older adults (OAs) and performance compared between the two postural conditions and across the two populations. The changedetection task was selected as it requires storage of information without updating or manipulation; 34 YAs, 34 OAs, and five frail OAs were recruited. A significant reduction in VWMC occurred with increasing postural demand during the perturbation condition for both YAs (p
