Psychological and stabilographic features in healthy persons performing dual tasks with different quality

• Published in: Fiziologiia cheloveka Vol. 39; no. 4; p. 33
• Main Authors: Zharikov, A V, Zhavoronkova, L A, Kuptsova, S B, Kushnir, E M, Kulikov, M A, Mikhalkova, A A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Russia (Federation) 01-07-2013
• Subjects: Adult; Cognition - physiology; Female; Humans; Male; Memory, Short-Term - physiology; Postural Balance - physiology; Spatial Memory - physiology
• ISSN: 0131-1646

The results of performance of 40 healthy volunteers (29.8 ± 2.47 y.o.) in four dual tasks that included postural balance task as a motor sub-task and calculation as a cognitive sub-task were compared to results of individual psychological assessment which measured working and spatial memory capacity, speed of attention switch etc. Performance of participants in dual tasks was not uniform. For each of four tasks four types of performance were observed. Those included decrease of performance in both or one task and increase of performance in both tasks. In one of the four dual tasks 30% of the group of participants performed in both components of dual task better then in separate motor and cognitive tasks. Better performance in this dual task correlated with higher speed of attention switch, higher estimates of spatial and working memory. Analysis of results of psychological and stabilografic investigations showed negative correlation between speed of sway of center of pressure (CoP) and speed of attention switch test, and also between amplitude of CoP sway along frontal axis and capacity of spatial and working memory. These correlations reflect involvement of cognitive resources in voluntary postural control and motor automatism in successful dual task performance. Selected variant of dual task could be used as an instrument of selection of individuals for activities related to high informational loads.