The effect of dual-task on static and dynamic postural control in daily activities and its relationship with sleep quality and physical activity in young adults

Abstract

Many daily activities require the simultaneous performance of two or more tasks that involve the integration of cognitive and motor skills, on which the performance outcome depends. The main aim of this thesis was to assess the effect of cognitive and motor tasks using a smartphone on the performance of static and dynamic postural control tasking in healthy young adults. According to eligibility criteria, thirty-six healthy young adults aged between 18 and 35 were selected. They performed single- and dual-tasks with cognitive and/or motor components. The instruments used to assess center of pressure, spatiotemporal gait parameters, muscle activity, hemodynamic response in the prefrontal cortex, physical activity levels, and sleep quality were an optical motion capture system coupled with two force plates, surface electromyography, functional near-infrared spectroscopy, International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, respectively. In general, our results showed a decline in postural control and motor pattern changes during both dual-tasks conditions compared to keeping a standing posture and normal walking (singletasks). Young adults, when performing a cognitive-dual task, showed a decrease in static postural control performance, greater regularity and lower complexity in the center of pressure displacement, more prefrontal cortex activation, decreased muscle activity in a static posture and increased during gait, lower stride length, and lower gait speed compared with the motor dual-task and single-task conditions. Poor sleep quality was associated with a worse postural control performance in displacement, mean velocity, and amplitude of center of pressure in medial-lateral directions under cognitive dual-task. Furthermore, a moderate and positive correlation was found between sleep quality and hemoglobin difference in the prefrontal cortex while walking with simultaneously performing a cognitive task. However, physical activity was not correlated with static and dynamic postural control. In conclusion, performing a cognitive dual-task appears to be more challenging than a motor dual-task, contributing to a greater decline in static and dynamic postural control performance relative to keeping a static standing posture or normal walking.