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Abstract Details

Cognitive loading during walking increases stride-to-stride randomness in people with Parkinson’s disease
Movement Disorders
P11 - Poster Session 11 (8:00 AM-9:00 AM)
3-008
To determine effect of dual-task walking on stride-to-stride randomness in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Parkinson’s disease causes gait to be more variable and more random (i.e., each stride is de-coupled from previous strides). Stride-to-stride randomness increases with increased disease severity, and maybe a marker of fall risk. Gait in PD is also attention-dependent, such that distractions while walking are detrimental. However, the effect of dual-task walking on stride-to-stride randomness is unknown. 
The effects of dual-task walking were tested on 25 people with Parkinson’s disease (mean 68 years old; range 60-81) and 19 healthy elderly (mean: 72 years old; range 60-83). Three trials were performed including seated cognitive task, single-task walking, and dual-task walking. In the seated cognitive and dual-task walking trials participants listened to an audiobook, performed a word monitoring task and answered context questions after the trial. Stride-to-stride randomness was measured with Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA), with lower values reflecting more random stride-to-stride variations (increasing randomness). 

The PD group showed significantly more random variations (increasing randomness) compared to healthy elderly during both single and dual-task walking. Stride-to-stride variations were in general more random during dual-task walking for both groups compared to single-task walking. There were no differences between groups on the performance of cognitive tasks (word monitoring and answering context questions). PD patients with more random variations in dual-task walking compared to single-task walking also performed worse on the cognitive tasks in dual-task conditions (word monitoring and context questions).

Focusing on the cognitive task while walking may take away attention towards walking, decreasing the amount of stride-to-stride control, and increasing DFA (i.e., less random variations). Our results suggest that increased stride-to-stride randomness may be an indicator of higher cortical control of locomotion and lower capacity to divide attention.
Authors/Disclosures

PRESENTER 		No disclosure on file
Danish Bhatti, MD, FÂ鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ (University of Central Florida College of Medicine) Dr. Bhatti has nothing to disclose.
No disclosure on file
No disclosure on file
No disclosure on file
John M. Bertoni, MD, PhD, FÂ鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ (University of Nebraska Medical Center) Dr. Bertoni has nothing to disclose.
Amy Hellman, MD, FÂ鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ (University of Nebraska Medical Center) The institution of Dr. Hellman has received research support from COBRE-NIH. The institution of Dr. Hellman has received research support from Neurocrine.
No disclosure on file