Cognitive capacity and smartphone dual-task gait measurement
Conference proceedings article
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Publication Details
Author list: Blumenthal J., Wilkinson A., Cheuk R.T.F., Charoenkitkarn P., Charoenkitkarn N., Chignell M.
Publisher: Elsevier
Publication year: 2017
Volume number: 111
Start page: 87
End page: 94
Number of pages: 8
ISSN: 1877-0509
Languages: English-Great Britain (EN-GB)
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Abstract
Walking and cognitive function are interrelated, and thus normal control of gait is perturbed by cognitive impairment. Changes in gait, as measured by quantitative analysis, can be a useful mechanism for detecting early indicators of cognitive decline. Observing changes in gait in the dual-task paradigm, i.e. when the subject walks while performing an attention-demanding task, can be a more sensitive measure. In the study reported in this paper, we developed a mobile application to perform quantitative gait assessment in the single and dual-task condition, using a smartphone's built in sensor system. We show that the gait parameters, as measured by a mobile device, are significantly related to the corresponding parameters reported by a gold-standard motion capture system. We also demonstrate that this approach may be comparable to previously validated assessments of cognition and executive functioning. Mobile technologies offer a platform for sensitive assessment of changes in cognitive function through gait analysis in dual-task conditions. This methodology opens the way for more frequent assessments of cognition, as part of physiotherapy and rehabilitation practice.
Keywords
accelerometers, attention, cognition, dual-tasking, gait
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