Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jun;46(3):3169-3184.
doi: 10.1007/s11357-023-01054-3. Epub 2024 Jan 15.

Brain control of dual-task walking can be improved in aging and neurological disease

Roee Holtzer  1   2 , Jaeun Choi  3 , Robert W Motl  4 , Frederick W Foley  5   6 , Mark E Wagshul  7 , Manuel E Hernandez  8   9 , Meltem Izzetoglu  10
Affiliations

Brain control of dual-task walking can be improved in aging and neurological disease

Roee Holtzer et al. Geroscience. 2024 Jun.

Abstract

The peak prevalence of multiple sclerosis has shifted into older age groups, but co-occurring and possibly synergistic motoric and cognitive declines in this patient population are poorly understood. Dual-task-walking performance, subserved by the prefrontal cortex, and compromised in multiple sclerosis and aging, predicts health outcomes. Whether acute practice can improve dual-task walking performance and prefrontal cortex hemodynamic response efficiency in multiple sclerosis has not been reported. To address this gap in the literature, the current study examined task- and practice-related effects on dual-task-walking and associated brain activation in older adults with multiple sclerosis and controls. Multiple sclerosis (n = 94, mean age = 64.76 ± 4.19 years) and control (n = 104, mean age = 68.18 ± 7.01 years) participants were tested under three experimental conditions (dual-task-walk, single-task-walk, and single-task-alpha) administered over three repeated counterbalanced trials. Functional near-infrared-spectroscopy was used to evaluate task- and practice-related changes in prefrontal cortex oxygenated hemoglobin. Gait and cognitive performances declined, and prefrontal cortex oxygenated hemoglobin was higher in dual compared to both single task conditions in both groups. Gait and cognitive performances improved over trials in both groups. There were greater declines over trials in oxygenated hemoglobin in dual-task-walk compared to single-task-walk in both groups. Among controls, but not multiple sclerosis participants, declines over trials in oxygenated hemoglobin were greater in dual-task-walk compared to single-task-alpha. Dual-task walking and associated prefrontal cortex activation efficiency improved during a single session, but improvement in neural resource utilization, although significant, was attenuated in multiple sclerosis participants. These findings suggest encouraging brain adaptability in aging and neurological disease.

Keywords: Aging; Cognition; Functional near-infrared-spectroscopy; Multiple sclerosis; Walking.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Dr. Izzetoglu has a minor share in fNIRS device. All other authors have no conflicts of interest to report in relation to the current article. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mean fNIRS-derived HbO per trial (1–3), task condition (STW, STA, DTW), and group (MS vs. control). A Control participants. B MS participants. STW, single-task-walk; STA, single-task-alpha; DTW, dual-task-walk; MS, multiple sclerosis
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mean stride velocity per trial (1–3), task (STW, DTW), and group (MS vs. control). A Control participants. B MS participants. STW, single-task-walk; DTW, dual-task-walk; MS, multiple sclerosis
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Mean correct letters per trial (1–3), task (STA, DTW), and group (MS vs. control). A Control participants. B MS participants. STA, single-task-alpha; DTW, dual-task-walk; MS, multiple sclerosis
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Soler B, et al. Clinical assessment, management, and rehabilitation of walking impairment in MS: an expert review. Expert Rev Neurother. 2020;20(8):875–886. doi: 10.1080/14737175.2020.1801425. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Benedict RHB, et al. Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis: clinical management, MRI, and therapeutic avenues. Lancet Neurol. 2020;19(10):860–871. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(20)30277-5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Demnitz N, et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies examining the relationship between mobility and cognition in healthy older adults. Gait Posture. 2016;50:164–174. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2016.08.028. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Learmonth YC, Ensari I, Motl RW. Cognitive Motor Interference in Multiple Sclerosis: Insights From a Systematic Quantitative Review. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2017;98(6):1229–1240. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2016.07.018. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Walton C, et al. Rising prevalence of multiple sclerosis worldwide: insights from the Atlas of MS, third edition. Mult Scler. 2020;26(14):1816–1821. doi: 10.1177/1352458520970841. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types