The Role of Attention in Walking in Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease affects both cognitive and motor function. The purpose of this study was to look at the role of attention and walking in people with Parkinson’s disease (n = 15) as compared to a healthy, matched control group (n = 15). Participants completed a variety of cognitive tests designed to measure vigilance, executive control, and working memory. They then performed n-back tasks with fixed- and self-paced presentation of stimuli, while seated and while walking along a GAITRite® mat, in counterbalanced order. Walking variables included velocity, stride length, cycle time, and double support. Single-task results showed people with Parkinson’s performed worse on tasks of executive control, walking velocity, and cycle time. Significant dual-task costs were found for most gait variables and n-back accuracy, with no difference between groups. Executive control predicted velocity in both groups, but not dual-task costs. These findings highlight the role of cognition in walking in Parkinson’s.