Response times are greater , gait strategies are less efficient , and postural control deficits are greater in concussed participants compared with healthy controls both immediately and for some period following concussive injury , specifically under divided attention conditions .
Dual task assessment s in some cases were more reliable than single task assessment s and may be better able to detect lingering effects following concussion .
This article is a systematic review of the literature on divided attention assessment inclusive of a cognitive and motor task ( balance or gait ) for use in concussion management .
Balance and cognitive performance during a dual-task: preliminary implications for use in concussion assessment.
OBJECTIVES To determine the reliability and effects of a dual-task paradigm on  balance and cognitive function  compared to a single-task paradigm . DESIGN Repeated measures . METHODS Healthy participants ( n=23 ) completed a variation of the Sensory Organization Test and the incongruent Stroop test individually ( single-task ) and concurrently ( dual-task ) during two testing sessions . RESULTS The Sensory Organization Test and incongruent Stroop test had moderate to high reliability ( 1.00>ICC2,k>0.60 ) under the dual-task conditions . Reaction time was significantly longer ( t21=-2.54 , p=0.019 ) under the dual-task conditions , while balance scores under one of the four conditions of the Sensory Organization Test ( sway floor/fixed wall ) were statistically better ( t22=-3.03 , p=0.006 ) under the dual-task conditions . However , this difference in balance scores may not be clinical ly meaningful . CONCLUSIONS These findings illustrate that the Sensory Organization Test and incongruent Stroop task can be reliably incorporated into a dual-task assessment paradigm . The slowed reaction time under the dual-task paradigm indicates that the dual-task provided an additional cost to cognitive function . Dual-task concussion assessment paradigms involving these two tasks are psychometrically appropriate as well as more representative of actual sporting situations . However , more research should be conducted in a concussed population to further vali date this cl aim
Response times are greater , gait strategies are less efficient , and postural control deficits are greater in concussed participants compared with healthy controls both immediately and for some period following concussive injury , specifically under divided attention conditions .
Dual task assessment s in some cases were more reliable than single task assessment s and may be better able to detect lingering effects following concussion .
This article is a systematic review of the literature on divided attention assessment inclusive of a cognitive and motor task ( balance or gait ) for use in concussion management .