@misc{BrahmsHeinzelRappetal.2022,
  author    = {Brahms, Markus and Heinzel, Stephan and Rapp, Michael Armin and M{\"u}ckstein, Marie and Hortob{\´a}gyi, Tibor and Stelzel, Christine and Granacher, Urs},
  title     = {The acute effects of mental fatigue on balance performance in healthy young and older adults - A systematic review and meta-analysis},
  series = {Zweitver{\"o}ffentlichungen der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe},
  journal   = {Zweitver{\"o}ffentlichungen der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe},
  publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam},
  address   = {Potsdam},
  issn      = {1866-8364},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-56156},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-561560},
  pages     = {1 -- 13},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Cognitive resources contribute to balance control. There is evidence that mental fatigue reduces cognitive resources and impairs balance performance, particularly in older adults and when balance tasks are complex, for example when trying to walk or stand while concurrently performing a secondary cognitive task. We conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed (MEDLINE), Web of Science and Google Scholar to identify eligible studies and performed a random effects meta-analysis to quantify the effects of experimentally induced mental fatigue on balance performance in healthy adults. Subgroup analyses were computed for age (healthy young vs. healthy older adults) and balance task complexity (balance tasks with high complexity vs. balance tasks with low complexity) to examine the moderating effects of these factors on fatigue-mediated balance performance. We identified 7 eligible studies with 9 study groups and 206 participants. Analysis revealed that performing a prolonged cognitive task had a small but significant effect (SMDwm = -0.38) on subsequent balance performance in healthy young and older adults. However, age- and task-related differences in balance responses to fatigue could not be confirmed statistically. Overall, aggregation of the available literature indicates that mental fatigue generally reduces balance in healthy adults. However, interactions between cognitive resource reduction, aging and balance task complexity remain elusive.},
  language  = {en}
}
@misc{BeurskensMuehlbauerGranacher2015,
  author    = {Beurskens, Rainer and M{\"u}hlbauer, Thomas and Granacher, Urs},
  title     = {Association of dual-task walking performance and leg muscle quality in healthy children},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-75100},
  pages     = {7},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {Background Previous literature mainly introduced cognitive functions to explain performance decrements in dual-task walking, i.e., changes in dual-task locomotion are attributed to limited cognitive information processing capacities. In this study, we enlarge existing literature and investigate whether leg muscular capacity plays an additional role in children's dual-task walking performance. Methods To this end, we had prepubescent children (mean age: 8.7 ± 0.5 years, age range: 7-9 years) walk in single task (ST) and while concurrently conducting an arithmetic subtraction task (DT). Additionally, leg lean tissue mass was assessed. Results Findings show that both, boys and girls, significantly decrease their gait velocity (f = 0.73), stride length (f = 0.62) and cadence (f = 0.68) and increase the variability thereof (f = 0.20-0.63) during DT compared to ST. Furthermore, stepwise regressions indicate that leg lean tissue mass is closely associated with step time and the variability thereof during DT (R2 = 0.44, p = 0.009). These associations between gait measures and leg lean tissue mass could not be observed for ST (R2 = 0.17, p = 0.19). Conclusion We were able to show a potential link between leg muscular capacities and DT walking performance in children. We interpret these findings as evidence that higher leg muscle mass in children may mitigate the impact of a cognitive interference task on DT walking performance by inducing enhanced gait stability.},
  language  = {en}
}