The influence of cognitive tasks on sensory organization test performance

Abstract Introduction: Many static postural tasks requiring vestibular contributions are completed while dual- tasking. Objective: We investigated the influence of dual-tasks on sensory integration for postural control and cognitive performance during the sensory organization test and examined the relationship between cognitive function and dual-task cost during the sensory organization test. Methods: Twenty adults completed single and dual-task versions of the six conditions of the sensory organization test were completed during two visits separated by one week. A subset of 13 participants completed three National Institute of Health (NIH)-toolbox cognitive tests including the Flanker inhibitory control and attention test, dimensional change card sort test and pattern comparison processing speed test. Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to compare postural sway during single and dual-task sensory organization test. Friedman’s test, with pairwise comparison post-hoc tests, was used to compare single task serial subtraction performance to the 6 dual-task sensory organization test conditions. Spearman’s correlation coefficients were used to assess the relationship between cognitive performance on NIH-toolbox test and postural and cognitive dual-task cost during the sensory organization test. Results: Performing a cognitive dual-task during the sensory organization test resulted in a significant increase in postural sway during condition 1 (Z = −3.26, p = 0.001, ES = 0.73), condition 3 (Z = −2.53, p = 0.012, ES = 0.56), and condition 6 (Z = −2.02, p = 0.044, ES = 0.45). Subtraction performance significantly decreased in during condition 6 (Z = −2.479, p = 0.011, ES = 0.55) compared to single-task. The dimensional change card sort test demonstrated moderate correlations with dual-task cost of serial subtraction performance in condition 5 (dimensional change card sort test: r = −0.62, p = 0.02) and condition 6 (dimensional change card sort test: r= −0.56, p = 0.04). Pattern comparison processing speed test scores were significantly correlated with dual-task cost of postural control during condition 2. Conclusion: Performing a cognitive task during the sensory organization test resulted in significantly increased postural sway during three conditions, particularly during visual environment manipulation oppose to vestibular and somatosensory manipulation. Cognitive performance decreased during the most complex sensory organization test condition. Additionally, we found participants with poorer executive function had greater dual-task cost during more complex sensory integration demands.