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Project

COGNITIVE-MOTOR INTERFERENCES DURING WALKING IN PERSONS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: ASSESSMENT, REHABILITATION STRATEGIES AND NEURAL CORRELATES (R-8153)

Dual tasking (DT) such as walking while talking on the phone or remembering a shopping list is very frequently required in everyday life. However, simultaneous performance of motor (walking) and cognitive (talking, memory etc.) tasks can be difficult and can lead to a worse performance (dual task cost; DTC). This cognitive-motor interference is greater in elderly and patients with neurological conditions compared to healthy persons, impeding daily life functioning. Walking dysfunction and cognitive impairment are very prevalent in multiple sclerosis (MS) already in an early disease phase. This research proposal firstly aims to investigate the magnitude of the DTC according to different types of cognitive distractors (information processing, memory, attention, etc.), its reliability as experimental outcome measure and its association with factors as severity of cognitive dysfunction or fatigue. Secondly, it is proposed to develop and test an innovative rehabilitation program where cognitive and motor functions are trained integrated during walking instead of separately. It is hypothesized that effects on DT will be greatest after integrated training. Analyses will allow to identify which patient profiles respond best. The third aim is to effectively verify the neural structural and connectivity changes after DT training by taking brain scans and to inform on brain regions of interest in DT.
Date:1 Sep 2017 →  31 Aug 2021
Keywords:Exercise therapy
Disciplines:Neurosciences, Biological and physiological psychology, Cognitive science and intelligent systems, Developmental psychology and ageing