Effects of Different Forms of Fatigue on Double-Task Performance in the Elderly

The dual task (walking and cognitive task at the same time) is increasingly used in geriatrics in protocols for detecting people who are falling and/or for highlighting cognitive disorders. However, frail elderly people tend to get tired quickly and a lack of awareness of the effects of fatigue on dual-task performance could alter the diagnosis.

There are two types of fatigue: mental fatigue and peripheral muscle fatigue. Each participant will do both types of fatigue over 2 appointments spaced by 7 days so that the subject can recover from induced fatigue. The sequence of fatigue tasks will be randomized.

At the first appointment (day 0):

1. Pre-fatigue assessment :

   • The subject must walk on 10m with round trip for 1min.
   • the subject must do the arithmetic count of 3 in 3
   • Then comes the evaluation in double task (walking and counting at once for 1min). The subject must walk on 10m with round trip for 1min by doing the arithmetic count of 3 in 3 at the same time.
2. mental fatigue task or muscle fatigue task (randomized)
3. post-fatigue assessment (the same as pre-fatigue assessment)

7 resting days

Second appointment (day 7)

1. Pre-fatigue assessment :

   • The subject must walk on 10m with round trip for 1min.
   • the subject must do the arithmetic count of 3 in 3
   • Then comes the evaluation in double task (walking and counting at once for 1min). The subject must walk on 10m with round trip for 1min by doing the arithmetic count of 3 in 3 at the same time.
2. mental fatigue task or muscle fatigue task (randomized)
3. post-fatigue assessment (the same as pre-fatigue assessment)

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Elderly
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Fatigability assessment

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 66
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• France
  • Nice, France, 06000
    • CHU de Nice

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 20 years to 90 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Young group

Inclusion Criteria:

• 20 to 40 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

• psychiatric disorders
• Severe hearing or vision loss
• Motor or sensory disability that may interfere with test completion

Old group

Inclusion Criteria:

• 65 to 90 years old
• less than 3 Fried's criteria of fragility
• walking ability without technical assistance (at least 10m).

Exclusion Criteria:

• psychiatric disorders
• Severe hearing or vision loss
• Motor or sensory disability that may interfere with test completion

Old frail group

Inclusion Criteria:

• 65 to 90 years old
• 3 or more Fried's criteria of fragility
• walking ability without technical assistance (at least 10m).

Exclusion Criteria:

• psychiatric disorders
• Severe hearing or vision loss
• Motor or sensory disability that may interfere with test completion

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Mental Fatigue Task first; First appointment :Pre-fatigue assessmentmental fatigue taskpost-fatigue assessment; 7 resting days; second appointmentPre-fatigue assessmentMuscle fatigue taskpost-fatigue assessment	Other: Fatigability assessment; Each participant will do both types of fatigue over 2 appointments spaced by 7 days so that the subject can recover from induced fatigue. The sequence of fatigue tasks will be randomized.
Experimental: Muscle fatigue task first; First appointment :Pre-fatigue assessmentMuscle fatigue taskpost-fatigue assessment; 7 resting days; second appointmentPre-fatigue assessmentmental fatigue taskpost-fatigue assessment	Other: Fatigability assessment; Each participant will do both types of fatigue over 2 appointments spaced by 7 days so that the subject can recover from induced fatigue. The sequence of fatigue tasks will be randomized.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Dual task performance after muscular fatigue	Dual task performance (DTEspeed motor performance; DTEcog cognitive performance) will be compared before and after a protocol of peripheral mental and muscular fatigue. For Dual Task Performance, the cognitive task performance (maximum count count - error count) performed alone (single ST task) and performed while walking (double ST task) will be compared.	at inclusion (day 0)
Dual task performance after cognitive fatigue	Dual task performance (DTEspeed motor performance; DTEcog cognitive performance) will be compared before and after a protocol of peripheral mental and muscular fatigue. For Dual Task Performance, the cognitive task performance (maximum count count - error count) performed alone (single ST task) and performed while walking (double ST task) will be compared.	at day 7

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Olivier GUERIN, Nice University Hospital, Gerontology Department

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 19, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 30, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): October 6, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 10, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 17, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): March 19, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 7, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 6, 2022
• Last Verified: October 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Fatigue
• Other Study ID Numbers: 21-PP-02

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No