Motor performance deteriorates with simultaneously performed cognitive tasks in geriatric patients.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether simultaneous cognitive tasks influence maximal motor performance in frail geriatric patients with a history of injurious falls and different levels of cognitive function.

DESIGN

Experimental 3-group design.

SETTING

Geriatric rehabilitation hospital.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-two healthy, young adults (mean age +/- standard deviation, 27.7 +/- 9y) and 23 geriatric patients (mean age, 80.9 +/- 5.4y) with a history of injurious falls with (Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE] score, 20.5 +/- 1.6) and without (MMSE score, 28.1 +/- 1.2) cognitive impairment.

INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Motor performance: peak and integral of maximal isometric strength of leg extensors. Cognition: semiautomated calculation steps (serial 2 forward) and nonautomated calculation steps derived from the MMSE (serial 7 retro). Motor and cognitive performances were examined as single and dual tasks.

RESULTS

In frail geriatric patients, especially in patients with cognitive impairment, maximal motor performance decreased significantly during all dual tasks. Cognitive performance was reduced, depending on the task and group.

CONCLUSION

In frail or cognitively impaired geriatric patients, additional tasks can substantially decrease maximal motor performance. Insufficient resources on dual tasking may thus be a link in connecting the high incidence of falls with frailty and cognitive impairment in geriatric patients with a history of injurious falls.