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Cognitive demand does not influence the responsiveness of homonymous Ia afferents pathway during postural dual task in young and elderly adults

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Abstract

Purpose

This study was designed to investigate the influence of a cognitive task on the responsiveness of the homonymous Ia afferents pathway during upright standing in young and elderly adults.

Methods

Twelve young and twelve elderly adults stood upright on a foam surface positioned over a force platform, and performed a colour-naming test (cognitive task) with two cognitive loads: congruent and incongruent colour conditions. The rate of correct response in naming colour (accuracy) and associated reaction time (RT) were recorded for the cognitive task. The excursion of the centre of pressure and surface electromyogramme (EMG) of leg muscles were measured. Modulation in the efficacy of homonymous Ia afferents to discharge spinal motor neurones was assessed by means of the Hoffmann (H) reflex method.

Results

The accuracy and RT were similar in the congruent condition between young and elderly adults (p > 0.05), and increased for both age groups in the incongruent condition, but more so for elderly adults (p = 0.014). In contrast, the H reflex amplitude did not change with the cognitive load. The excursions of the centre of pressure in the sagittal plane and muscle EMG did not vary with colour conditions in both groups (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

This study indicates a lack of modulation in the efficacy of group Ia afferent to activate soleus motor neurones with the cognitive demand of a concurrent task during upright standing in young and elderly adults.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Prof. Axel Cleeremans and Prof. Jacques Duchateau for helpful comments on a draft of the manuscript, Julia Eberlen-Spreer and Axel Dugeny for assistance in programming the cognitive task and data collection. Dr. Gaillard is supported by a grant of the Brussels Institute for Research and Innovation (Innoviris BB2B 2012-1-107). Dr. Baudry is supported by a grant of the “Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique (FRS-FNRS)” of Belgium.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Applied Biology and Research Unit in Neurophysiology, Faculty for Motor Sciences, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 808, route de Lennik, CP 640, 1070, Brussels, Belgium

    Stéphane Baudry

  2. Consciousness, Cognition and Computation Group (CO3), Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences (CRCN), ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

    Vinciane Gaillard

Authors
  1. Stéphane Baudry
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  2. Vinciane Gaillard
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Correspondence to Stéphane Baudry.

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Communicated by Fausto Baldissera.

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Baudry, S., Gaillard, V. Cognitive demand does not influence the responsiveness of homonymous Ia afferents pathway during postural dual task in young and elderly adults. Eur J Appl Physiol 114, 295–303 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-013-2775-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-013-2775-8

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