TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of cognitive workload on heart and locomotor rhythms coupling
AU - De Bartolo, Daniela
AU - De Giorgi, Chiara
AU - Compagnucci, Luca
AU - Betti, Viviana
AU - Antonucci, Gabriella
AU - Morone, Giovanni
AU - Paolucci, Stefano
AU - Iosa, Marco
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2021/9/25
Y1 - 2021/9/25
N2 - Different physiological signals could be coupled under specific conditions, in some cases related to pathologies or reductions in system complexity. Cardiac-locomotor synchronization (CLS) has been one of the most investigating coupling. The influence of a cognitive task on walking was investigated in dual-task experiments, but how different cognitive tasks may influence CLS has poorly been investigated. Twenty healthy subjects performed a dual-task walking (coupled with verbal fluency vs calculation) on a treadmill at three different speeds (comfortable speed CS; fast-speed: CS + 2 km/h; slow-speed: CS-2 km/h) while cardiac and walking rhythms were recorded using surface electrodes and a triaxial accelerometer, respectively. According to previous studies, we found a cognitive-motor interference for which cognitive performance was affected by motor exercise, but not vice-versa. We found a CLS at the baseline condition, at fast speed in both cognitive tasks, while at comfortable speed only for the verbal fluency task. In conclusion, the cardiac and locomotor rhythms were not coupled at slow speed and at comfortable speed during subtraction task. Cognitive performances generally increased at faster speed, when cardiac locomotor coupling was stronger.
AB - Different physiological signals could be coupled under specific conditions, in some cases related to pathologies or reductions in system complexity. Cardiac-locomotor synchronization (CLS) has been one of the most investigating coupling. The influence of a cognitive task on walking was investigated in dual-task experiments, but how different cognitive tasks may influence CLS has poorly been investigated. Twenty healthy subjects performed a dual-task walking (coupled with verbal fluency vs calculation) on a treadmill at three different speeds (comfortable speed CS; fast-speed: CS + 2 km/h; slow-speed: CS-2 km/h) while cardiac and walking rhythms were recorded using surface electrodes and a triaxial accelerometer, respectively. According to previous studies, we found a cognitive-motor interference for which cognitive performance was affected by motor exercise, but not vice-versa. We found a CLS at the baseline condition, at fast speed in both cognitive tasks, while at comfortable speed only for the verbal fluency task. In conclusion, the cardiac and locomotor rhythms were not coupled at slow speed and at comfortable speed during subtraction task. Cognitive performances generally increased at faster speed, when cardiac locomotor coupling was stronger.
KW - Dual task
KW - Heart rhythms
KW - Physiological coupling
KW - Walking rhythms
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U2 - 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.136140
DO - 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.136140
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85111655938
VL - 762
JO - Neuroscience Letters
JF - Neuroscience Letters
SN - 0304-3940
M1 - 136140
ER -