Feasibility of Integrating Cognitive and Motor Functions into a New Balance Tracking System (BTrackS) Training Protocol

Many studies have shown that combining cognitive and motor tasks into one dual-task activity can prove to be beneficial in improving many gait parameters and balance. However, gaps in knowledge within this area of study still exist. Dr. Daniel Goble, professor at Oakland University, added a new cognitive-motor application to his Balance Tracking System (BTrackS). The present study had 17 adult participants complete this task three times each one week apart. The task involves standing on a force plate while looking at a screen displaying the plate, a yellow dot to represent the participant’s center of pressure (COP) location, and letters for memorization to trigger the motor response. The system collects average response time, fastest response time, and accuracy. The statistical analyses included a one-way analysis of variance, Tukey's honestly significant difference, t-test, and intraclass correlation. Results showed that participants’ average response time improved over three trials with an overall difference between the trial average response time means. Good reliability can be seen when looking at average response times between sessions one and two while excellent reliability can be seen when looking at the average response times between sessions two and three. There is poor reliability in the results on accuracy. It can be interpreted that improvements can be made over three trials on this new BTrackS cognitive-motor application when testing young, healthy adults with no balance impairments. The results also suggest that a practice trial would be beneficial.