The impact of divided attention on automatic postural responses: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Andrew S. Monaghan, Hanna Johansson, Alexis Torres, Gene A. Brewer, Daniel S. Peterson*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Quick responses to a loss of balance or “automatic postural responses” (APRs) are critical for fall prevention. The addition of a distracting task— dual-tasking (DT), typically worsens performance on mobility tasks. However, the effect of DT on APRs is unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analyses to examine the effects of DT on spatial, temporal, and neuromuscular components of APRs and the effect of DT on cognitive performance. A Meta-analysis of 19 cohorts (n = 329) showed significant worsening in spatial kinematic features of APRs under DT conditions (P = 0.01), and a meta-analysis of 9 cohorts (n = 123) demonstrated later muscle onset during DT (P = 0.003). No significant DT effect was observed for temporal kinematic outcomes in 18 cohorts (n = 328; P = 0.47). Finally, significant declines in cognitive performance were evident in 20 cohorts (n = 400; P = 0.002). These results indicate that, despite the somewhat reactive nature of APRs, the addition of a secondary task negatively impacts some aspects of the response. These findings underscore the importance of cortical structures in APR generation. Given the importance of APRs for falls, identifying aspects of APRs that are altered under DT may inform fall-prevention treatment approaches.

Original languageEnglish
Article number111759
Number of pages12
JournalExperimental Gerontology
Volume162
Early online date09 Mar 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01 Jun 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • balance
  • cognition
  • Dual-Task
  • attention

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The impact of divided attention on automatic postural responses: a systematic review and meta-analysis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this