Changes in Standing and Walking Performance Under Dual-Task Conditions Across the Lifespan

Ruffieux, Jan; Keller, Martín; Lauber, Benedikt; Taube, Wolfgang · 2015 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1007/s40279-015-0369-9

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Summary

This systematic review investigates age-related changes in standing and walking performance under dual-task (DT) conditions across the lifespan. The study addresses the hypothesis that dual-task costs—defined as decreased performance in one or both concurrent tasks due to limited cognitive resources—follow a U-shaped pattern, being most pronounced in children and older adults compared to young adults. This assumption is grounded in evidence that both children and older adults exhibit less automatic postural control, altered sensory weighting, and reduced cortical inhibition, thereby requiring greater attentional resources for balance maintenance. The authors searched PubMed and Web of Science for studies comparing DT performance in healthy young adults with either children or older adults. Of 963 records screened, 79 studies met inclusion criteria: 70 compared older adults with young adults, and 10 compared children with young adults. To handle heterogeneity in study designs, the review analyzed the proportion of variables showing significant age-related differences in DT performance rather than performing a meta-analysis. Age groups were categorized as young children (<8 years), older children (8–13 years), young adults (19–35 years), younger old (60–69 years), and older old (≥70 years). Results confirmed that older adults exhibit significantly higher dual-task costs than young adults, particularly for postural tasks. Approximately 38% of studies found better relative DT performance in young adults for at least half of the measured postural variables, while 35% found no significant differences. Conversely, most studies (70%) found no age-related differences in concurrent task performance between older and young adults. In contrast, evidence for increased dual-task costs in children was feeble. Only six of the ten studies comparing children to young adults found age-related differences favoring young adults for postural tasks, while two found no differences and two indicated better performance in children. The limited data prevented definitive conclusions about developmental trends between young and older children, though one study suggested a U-shaped relationship across all three age groups. The review concludes that while older adults clearly demonstrate age-related declines in postural control under dual-task conditions, the expected parallel deficit in children is not strongly supported by current literature. The authors emphasize that the scarcity of high-quality studies comparing multiple age groups within the same paradigm limits the ability to draw unambiguous conclusions about lifespan development. They call for more rigorous research to clarify the trajectory of dual-task ability from childhood through old age and to investigate potential training effects in younger populations.

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• dual task multitasking