To assess the effects of a dual-task exercise program on cognitive-motor interference during dual-task walking and the associated changes in brain activity.
Stroke is one of the leading causes of chronic disability in Hong Kong and other parts of the world. Mobility dysfunctions are among the most common impairments observed after stroke. Restoration of mobility is also a top priority in rehabilitation goal-setting by stroke patients. In daily life, functional ambulation in the community requires the ability to maintain walking balance while simultaneously engaging in other attention-demanding tasks (i.e., dual-tasking), such as walking when holding a conversation, or crossing the street while attending to traffic signals. There is increasing evidence that performing a cognitive task in conjunction with a mobility task would cause more severe degradation of one or both tasks among stroke patients when compared with age-matched able-bodied individuals. This phenomenon, termed "cognitive-motor interference", should warrant detailed study, since it has an important impact on community-living among people with stroke.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
84
This group will receive 30 min of dual-task exercise training and 30 min of stretching exercises in each session. The dual-task component involves walking activities performed in conjunction with cognitive activities. For the stretching exercise component, no cognitive load will be added.
This group will undergo 30 min of single-task mobility training and another 30 min of single-task cognitive activities. The cognitive and mobility exercises will be the same as those in the dual-task group, but they will be performed separately. No extra cognitive load will be imposed during the mobility exercises. No additional motor demand will be imposed during the cognitive exercises, as the participants will be sitting.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
RECRUITINGDual-task gait speed
Gait speed under dual-task condition will be recorded
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Dual-task cognitive performance
Number of correct responses will be measured during dual-task walking
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Dual-task gait performance 1
Gait cadence will be measured during dual-task walking
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Dual-task gait performance 2
Stride length will be measured during dual-task walking
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Dual-task gait performance 3
Trunk stability will be measured during dual-task walking
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Oxyhemoglobin concentration changes of the brain
Oxyhemoglobin concentration changes will be measured using functional near infra-red spectroscopy during dual-task walking
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
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This group will undergo 30 min of stretching exercises (same as the dual-task group) and another 30 min of upper limb strengthening exercises performed primarily in the sitting or lying position. No cognitive load will be added.