The Role of Working Memory on Dual-Task Cost During Walking Performance in Childhood

Abstract

This study examined the effect of a secondary motor task on walking ability, whether performance differed according to age and the possible relationship between cognitive abilities, specifically working memory, and dual-task costs in children with typical development. Fifty-three female children (mean age M = 10 ± 2 years), were divided into two different age groups: a young (7–9 years; n = 17) and an older group (10–13 years; n = 36). First, participants performed a Walking Test (WT) without additional tasks; afterward, they performed the same walking test while performing each of the following tasks: carrying (1) a glass of water, (2) a ball on a round tray and (3) the combination of both tasks (1) and (2). The Test of Memory and Learning were used to assess working memory. WTs under a dual-task condition generally produced worse results compared to a single-task condition [ F (3,135) = 32.480, p < 0.001]. No age-related difference was observed [ F (1,45) = 0.497, p = 0.485]. Age, digit forward and backward, facial memory, and paired recall accounted altogether for 28.6% of variance in dual-task ability during WT while carrying a glass of water and a ball on a round tray. Specifically, facial memory significantly accounted for the variance of DTC in WTWT ( β = −0.381, p = 0.016). Moreover, a trend toward a statistical significance was observed for digit forward ( β = −0.275, p = 0.085). Results underlined that regardless of the age, a dual-task performance might affect walking performance depending on the required secondary task. Moreover, our results showed the association between working memory skills and dual-task cost in walking ability.

The effect of the motor dual-task on static and dynamic postural control and classification of the motor task difficulty - Systematic Review

“…Five studies use a sample type not making comparisons between groups (Beurskens et al, 2016;Asai et al, 2014;Nordin et al, 2010;Tang et al, 2015;Liu et al, 2018). One study examined the effect of a secondary motor task on walking ability in childhood (Rabaglietti et al, 2019).…”

“…In most studies, the principal motor task analyzed was gait (Beurskens et al, 2016;Abbruzzese et al, 2014;Asai et al, 2014;Beurskens & Bock, 2013;Nordin et al, 2010;Oh-Park et al, 2013;Júnior et al, 2017;Mofateh et al, 2017;Baldan & Elmauer, 2015;Liu et al, 2018;Hunter et al, 2018;Kachouri et al, 2019;Rabaglietti et al, 2019).…”

Effects of High Intensity Interval Training on Executive Function in Children Aged 8–12 Years

“…Particularly, in primary school-aged children, working memory performance has been shown to predict academic performance such as the performance in mathematics [11]. In addition, working memory is related to dual task performance in life activity [12]. Therefore, working memory has important roles not only in academic performance, but also in everyday life.…”

Effects of various executive functions on adults’ and children’s walking.

“…Even though this research has indicated that executive functions play an essential role for keeping postural control when walking (Springer et al, 2006; Woollacott & Shumway-Cook, 2002; Yogev-Seligmann et al, 2008), to date, there are no studies that explored this relation between walking and all three core components of executive functions in much detail. Previous work has focused on correlating dual-task performance with only one core component of executive functions (e.g., working memory in Rabaglietti et al, 2019; inhibition in Springer et al, 2006 and Yogev et al, 2005). However, none of the previous studies has included all three executive-function components in a combined design.…”

“…Dual-task studies indicated that walking performance in a dual task correlated with executive functioning in a sample of typically developing 7-to 13-year-old children (Rabaglietti, De Lorenzo, & Brustio, 2019), older participants with a higher risk to fall (Springer et al, 2006), or patients with Parkinson's disease (Yogev et al, 2005). Further evidence came from infant studies in which novice walkers showed more perseverative behavior in a locomo-tor A-not-B task as compared to experienced crawling infants (Berger, 2010).…”