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 .
Approximate entropy detects the effect of a secondary cognitive task on postural control in healthy young adults: a methodological report
Background Biomechanical measures of postural stability , while generally useful in neuroscience and physical rehabilitation research , may be limited in their ability to detect more subtle influences of attention on postural control . Approximate entropy ( ApEn ) , a regularity statistic from nonlinear dynamics , recently has demonstrated relatively good measurement precision and shown promise for detecting subtle change in postural control after cerebral concussion . Our purpose was to further explore the responsiveness of ApEn by using it to evaluate the immediate , short-term effect of secondary cognitive task performance on postural control in healthy , young adults . Methods Thirty healthy , young adults performed a modified version of the Sensory Organization Test  featuring single ( posture only ) and dual ( posture plus cognitive ) task trials .  ApEn values , root mean square ( RMS ) displacement , and equilibrium scores ( ES ) were calculated from anterior-posterior ( AP ) and medial-lateral ( ML ) center of pressure ( COP ) component time series . For each sensory condition , we compared the ability of the postural control parameters to detect an effect of cognitive task performance . Results COP AP time series generally became more r and om ( higher ApEn value ) during dual task performance , result ing in a main effect of cognitive task ( p = 0.004 ) . In contrast , there was no significant effect of cognitive task for ApEn values of COP ML time series , RMS displacement ( AP or ML ) or ES . Conclusion During dual task performance , ApEn revealed a change in the r and omness of COP oscillations that occurred in a variety of sensory conditions , independent of changes in the amplitude of COP oscillations . The finding exp and s current support for the potential of ApEn to detect subtle changes in postural control . Implication s for future studies of attention in neuroscience and physical rehabilitation are discussed
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 .