2BALANCE: Test-retest reliability of a cognitive-motor dual-task protocol

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Danneels, Maya^{a; *} | Van Hecke, Ruth^a | Leyssens, Laura^a | Cambier, Dirk^a | van de Berg, Raymond^{b; c} | Van de Velde, Laura^a | Van Rompaey, Vincent^{d; e} | Maes, Leen^{a; f}

Affiliations: [a] Ghent University, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ghent, Belgium | [b] Maastricht University Medical Center, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Maastricht, Netherlands | [c] Faculty of Physics, Tomsk State Research University, Tomsk, Russia | [d] Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium | [e] Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium | [f] Ghent University Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Ghent, Belgium

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Maya Danneels, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, 9000 GENT, Belgium. Tel.: +3293322296; E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: PURPOSE:Aside from typical symptoms such as dizziness and vertigo, persons with vestibular disorders often have cognitive and motor problems. These symptoms have been assessed in single-task condition. However, dual-tasks assessing cognitive-motor interference might be an added value as they reflect daily life situations better. Therefore, the 2BALANCE protocol was developed. In the current study, the test-retest reliability of this protocol was assessed. METHODS:The 2BALANCE protocol was performed twice in 20 healthy young adults with an in-between test interval of two weeks. Two motor tasks and five different cognitive tasks were performed in single and dual-task condition. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), the standard error of measurement, and the minimal detectable difference were calculated. RESULTS:All cognitive tasks, with the exception of the mental rotation task, had favorable reliability results (0.26≤ICC≤0.91). The dynamic motor task indicated overall substantial reliability values in all conditions (0.67≤ICC≤0.98). Similar results were found for the static motor task during dual-tasking (0.50≤ICC≤0.92), but were slightly lower in single-task condition (–0.26≤ICC≤0.75). CONCLUSIONS:The 2BALANCE protocol was overall consistent across trials. However, the mental rotation task showed lowest reliability values.

Keywords: Dual-task, cognition, gait and posture, cognitive-motor interference, test-retest reliability

DOI: 10.3233/VES-210069

Journal: Journal of Vestibular Research, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 341-353, 2022