The association between dual-task walking and counting responses and cognitive function and disability after severe head injury: A preliminary study

ABSTRACT

Adverse outcomes after severe head injury (SHI) can be difficult to detect in primary care and other settings where there is not specialist expertise for interpretation. Walking and counting dual-task (DT) measures are strongly associated with cognitive impairment and dementia and this preliminary study investigates whether performance on DT walking and counting tasks are associated with cognitive function and disability in 125 participants who sustained a SHI on average 26 years before. Single Task (ST) walking (speed over 6 metres) and ST counting (Serial 3s) and DT performance of concurrent walking and Serial 3s were compared with neuropsychological, wellbeing and disability tests for strength of association. The strongest correlations were between ST Correct Cognitive Responses (CCRs) and MMSE (rho = 0.435), DT CCRs and Short-term Memory Binding Tests (STMBT) binding accuracy (rho = 0,409) and DT CCRs and STROOP (rho = 0.420), but associations were less strong with disability. Developing this test, as a cost-efficient screening tool for triage to onward referral for neuropsychological assessment, holds promise, but requires further research.

KEYWORDS:

• Dual-task
• walking and counting
• cognitive function
• disability
• severe head injury

Acknowledgments

The study was carried out at the University of Glasgow. Ethics approval was obtained from the NHS West of Scotland Research Ethics Committee (GN14CP375). All participants provided written, informed consent prior to taking part in the study. The authors have contributed to the following aspects of this manuscript: the conception and design of the study, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data – LM, PM, TM; drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content – LM, PM, TM; final approval of the version to be submitted – LM, PM, TM.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a Sackler Fellowship Bequest funding for the first author.