Gait termination after stepping down a curb: effect of concurrent cognitive task

This study examined the effect of a concurrent cognitive task on gait termination in older adults. Nine older adults walked and stepped down a curb, and stopped immediately after stepping down if a light stimulus was activated. Trials were performed with and without a concurrent cognitive task. We found that older adults walked slower while engaging in the cognitive task and took longer to terminate their gait. This may indicate that the additional cognitive demand of the concurrent task impaired the ability of older adults to make quick postural changes.