The effects of route previewing on adaptive gait and gaze behaviour under cognitive dual-task conditions in older adults
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Background
Safely walking through complex environments requires the use of visual information to plan and regulate steps, while managing competing cognitive demands. Age-related changes in visual control of gait and executive function may contribute to unsafe stepping behaviour, particularly under cognitive load. Route previewing may support visual-motor planning, but its effects under dual-task conditions in older adults are not well understood.
Research Question
Does cognitive dual-tasking influence gait and gaze behaviour during adaptive walking in older adults, and does previewing the walking route before gait initiation mitigate these effects?
Methods
Thirty-nine community-dwelling older adults (M age =73.4 years, SD=8.1; 14 male) completed four adaptive walking conditions, combining single- and dual-task walking with and without previewing. Per condition, participants completed six trials across different 8-m long coloured walking routes. Gait characteristics were assessed using an instrumented walkway and video-analysis, while gaze behaviour was recorded using mobile eye-tracking. Cognitive load was manipulated using a serial-subtraction task. Gait and gaze outcomes were evaluated using linear mixed-effects models.
Results
Dual-task performance significantly increased stepping errors, cross-steps, and double-limb support, while reducing stride length ( p < .001). It also significantly increased the number and duration of task irrelevant fixations ( p < .001). After previewing, participants exhibited more efficient gaze behaviour, as evidenced by looking further ahead (larger forward gaze transitions) and fewer irrelevant gaze fixations ( p < .002). Significant Task-by-Preview interactions revealed that previewing mitigated the negative effects of dual-tasking on stepping errors and cross-steps ( p < .001).
Significance
Route previewing prior to gait initiation attenuates negative effects of cognitive load on adaptive gait in older adults, likely by supporting visual-motor planning. These findings highlight the potential value of simple visual-planning interventions for improving adaptive gait in older adults.
