Abstract: Walking and Cognition, But Not Symptoms, Correlate With Dual Task Cost Of Walking In MS (The 27th Annual Meeting of the CMSC and the 5th Cooperative Meeting of the CMSC-ACTRIMS)

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Robert W Motl, PhD , Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL

Jacob J Sosnoff, PhD , Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL

Deirdre Dlugonski, BS , Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL

Lara A Pilutti, PhD , Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL

Rachel E Klaren, BS , Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL

Brian M Sandroff, MS , Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL

Background: There is evidence that performing a cognitive task while walking results in a significant reduction in walking performance, indexed by gait parameters, among persons with MS compared with controls. To date, very little is known about correlates of this dual task cost (DTC) of walking in MS.

Objectives: This study examined walking performance, cognitive processing speed, and symptoms of fatigue, depression, anxiety, and pain as correlates of DTC of walking in persons with MS.

Methods: 85 persons with MS undertook a 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and completed the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), Short-form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Patient Determined Disease Steps (PDDS). The participants further completed 4 trials of walking at a self-selected pace on an electronic walkway that recorded spatiotemporal parameters of gait. The first 2 trials were performed without a cognitive task, whereas the second 2 trials were completed while performing a word list generation task. The DTC was quantified as percent change in the spatiotemporal parameters of gait between trials performed without and with a cognitive task.

Results: There were significant declines in gait performance with the addition of a cognitive task and the magnitude ranged between 5.6% (p < .0001) and 14.4% (p < .0001) for step length and velocity, respectively. Both 6MWT and SDMT scores correlated with DTC for velocity (r = −.351, p = .001 & r = −.347, p = .001, respectively) and step length (r = −.424, p = .001 & r = −.368, p= .001, respectively); the correlations remained significant after controlling for PDDS scores. By comparison, there were no significant associations between FSS, MFIS overall and subscale, SF-MPQ, and HADS scores with the DTC for any of the gait parameters.

Conclusions: This study provides novel evidence indicating that walking and cognitive performance, but not symptoms, correlate with the DTC of walking in MS.

P14 Walking and Cognition, But Not Symptoms, Correlate With Dual Task Cost Of Walking In MS