Use of Wearable Sensors to Assess the Effects of Performing a Cognitive Task on Sensory Integration of Balance in Healthy Individuals

This study investigated the effects of performing a cognitive task on the sensory integration of balance in healthy individuals. Ten subjects (five F/five M; 21.5 ± 2.17 years; 69.9 ± 3.4 inches; 155.6 ± 26.1 lbs; Caucasian), without known balance issues, performed the modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction of Balance (mCTSIB) with and without a cognitive task. The cognitive task involved counting down in threes from a randomly assigned number between 95 and 100. Postural sway area and postural sway jerk were assessed through the use of inertial sensors placed around the subjects’ lower lumbar region. Each subject performed four trials for the four conditions of the mCTSIB: eyes open firm (EOFirm), eyes closed firm (ECFirm), eyes open foam (EOFoam), and eyes closed foam (ECFoam). We tested the effect of performing a cognitive task on the sensory integration of balance. We hypothesized that sensory cognitive interaction would be more apparent for more complex conditions and would be better assessed with postural sway jerk compared to postural sway area measure. With the addition of a cognitive task for the mCTSIB: (1) postural sway area increased in the baseline condition, i.e., EOFirm (p < 0.05), but did not increase in the most difficult condition, i.e., ECFoam; (2) postural sway jerk increased in all conditions of the mCTSIB (p < 0.05); (3) cognitive performance did not deteriorate across conditions of the mCTSIB. Postural sway jerk was shown to be a more sensitive measure in detecting the effect of a cognitive task on sensory integration for postural control. Overall, inertial sensors can be used to reliably assess postural sway differences related to sensory–cognitive integration.