Impact of a dual task on the energy cost of walking in individuals with subacute phase stroke

ABSTRACT

Objective

To assess the impact of cognitive Dual Task (DT) during walking on the energy cost of walking (Cw) in individuals with subacute stroke. The secondary objective was to determine whether there is an association between the Cw and cortical activity of the prefrontal area.

Methods

Any individual with stroke localized in the temporal-parietal regions and able to walk without human assistance was included. Cw and prefrontal cortical activity, recorded by fNIRS, were measured during simple task walking activity and cognitive dual task during walking.

Results

Nineteen individuals with stroke (age = 67.7 ± 9.6 yrs) were included. The cognitive DT during walking resulted in an increase in Cw of 23.1%; 95%CI [13.1%; 34.5%]. The increase in Cw in cognitive DT was correlated with the Cw for the single task walking activity (r = 0.48, p < 0.01) as well as the predominance of cortical activity of the prefrontal area in the contralesional hemisphere (r = −0.33, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

There is an increase in Cw during the cognitive DT. This increase is even more significant, as the Cw of the single task walking activity is high, and the cortical activity of the prefrontal areas predominates in the contralesional hemisphere.

KEYWORDS:

• fNIRS
• stroke
• energy cost
• dual task
• prefrontal cortex activity
• gait

Acknowledgments

We thank our partners Autonom’Lab and European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL) and the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine for their support throughout our work.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no competing interest to declare.

Financial support

This work was supported by the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and the laboratory of clinical research HAVAE (Handicap, Aging, Autonomy, Environment).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/02699052.2023.2165153

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.