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Increasing cognitive load attenuates right arm swing in healthy human walking.


ABSTRACT: Human arm swing looks and feels highly automated, yet it is increasingly apparent that higher centres, including the cortex, are involved in many aspects of locomotor control. The addition of a cognitive task increases arm swing asymmetry during walking, but the characteristics and mechanism of this asymmetry are unclear. We hypothesized that this effect is lateralized and a Stroop word-colour naming task-primarily involving left hemisphere structures-would reduce right arm swing only. We recorded gait in 83 healthy subjects aged 18-80 walking normally on a treadmill and while performing a congruent and incongruent Stroop task. The primary measure of arm swing asymmetry-an index based on both three-dimensional wrist trajectories in which positive values indicate proportionally smaller movements on the right-increased significantly under dual-task conditions in those aged 40-59 and further still in the over-60s, driven by reduced right arm flexion. Right arm swing attenuation appears to be the norm in humans performing a locomotor-cognitive dual-task, confirming a prominent role of the brain in locomotor behaviour. Women under 60 are surprisingly resistant to this effect, revealing unexpected gender differences atop the hierarchical chain of locomotor control.

SUBMITTER: Killeen T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5319362 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Increasing cognitive load attenuates right arm swing in healthy human walking.

Killeen Tim T   Easthope Christopher S CS   Filli Linard L   Lőrincz Lilla L   Schrafl-Altermatt Miriam M   Brugger Peter P   Linnebank Michael M   Curt Armin A   Zörner Björn B   Bolliger Marc M  

Royal Society open science 20170125 1


Human arm swing looks and feels highly automated, yet it is increasingly apparent that higher centres, including the cortex, are involved in many aspects of locomotor control. The addition of a cognitive task increases arm swing asymmetry during walking, but the characteristics and mechanism of this asymmetry are unclear. We hypothesized that this effect is lateralized and a Stroop word-colour naming task-primarily involving left hemisphere structures-would reduce right arm swing only. We record  ...[more]

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